Shapes

School Library Journal

PreS-K-- These four glossy little toy-shop board books are eye-catching, attractive, and appealing. Clothes presents a series of actions as a child begins the day in his underpants and finishes dressed in outdoor winter wear . In the most innovative of the four, Odd One Out, there is one object out of place on each page (e.g., a colander hanging on a coat rack). The misplaced object is identified and replaced in its proper location--where some other object resides, also out of place. It will take an alert child to spot the misplaced object on a doll's house on the inside cover. Opposites contrasts ``inside'' and ``outside,'' ``up'' and ``down,'' requiring children to turn a page for the second concept of each pair. Shapes is a simple concept book, introducing the square, circle, triangle, etc. The texts are minimal: one word per page is the maximum in all four titles. The winning models are approximately five years old, a multiracial mix of girls and boys. Four books that are sure to receive vigorous and enthusiastic handling. --Joan McGrath, Education Centre Library, Toronto, Ontario, Canada