Play Day

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A welcome companion to One Sun , this book, too, is a ``neat treat''--a delightful collection of ``terse verse'' (a very short rhyme consisting of two one-syllable words) accompanied by equally engaging color photos. Accomplished author/photo-illustrator McMillan comes up with 14 word pairs and has selected a quartet of huggable two-year-olds to act out each of the verse concepts while clearly--and messily--enjoying themselves completely. The concepts include word pairs such as ``fun run'' ``shirt dirt'' and ``blue shoe,'' all boldly photographed within a lush green scene--a summer lawn. As with most of the McMillan canon, the ideas can be extended well beyond the book's covers and the imagination is piqued by the arresting mix of visual and verbal imagery explored here. Ages 3-8. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

PreS-- Bright, full-color photographs of energetic multiethnic two-year-olds romping outdoors are the highlight of this Play Day. ``Terse verse''--two monosyllabic rhyming words in bold yellow letters--accompany each double-page spread, describing the object or activity featured in the photo. While some of the rhymes are obvious, such as ``green bean,'' and some--``toe bow''--are very much in keeping with a toddler's broad sense of humor, others seem forced. Consider: a glass stuffed with bits of grass and labeled ``grass glass,'' or ``goat boat'' to describe a plush stuffed toy atop a wooden boat in a pond. In one case, the same red toy initially referred to as part of a ``bear pair'' later becomes part of a ``cub tub,'' which is potentially confusing to those learning to identify objects. While some of the samples work better than others, a ``fine rhyme'' or two are sure to emerge from those who share this book aloud. --Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, Wheeler School, Providence, RI