Can You Guess?

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

Miller's stunningly bright photos and remarkable humor fill the pages of Can You Guess? It hooks young learners and engages them in the active learning. The text asks, "What do you comb in the morning?" Answers range from your face to a bar of soap. The silliness is sure to bring about giggles, and children will have too much fun to realize they're practicing logical thinking skills.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-Following quickly on the heels of her Where Does It Go? (Greenwillow, 1992), Miller again poses a number of logical questions and sets up a series of preposterous possible answers. Once more, the photographs are highly appealing, balanced, and not too staged. Nine delightful children, multiethnic and winsome, ``guess'' before the true answer is revealed. A sample: ``What do you send in the mail?'' A basketball? An elephant? The ocean? And in the final frame, a heavy, hefty watermelon? One can almost hear the giggling as children are bursting to shout the answer, ``A letter!'' Each layout follows the same pattern, a consistent technique that helps readers become involved in the book. Double-page spreads with four possible picture-replies are sandwiched between the question and answer (on the following verso). Minimal text and pictures with upper-and lowercase captions are both easy to read and serve as an excellent model. The overall simplicity, clarity, and familiarity make Can You Guess? a natural for story time, bedtime, anytime-and it's also good for ESL children. A winner!-Harriett Fargnoli, Great Neck Library, NY