Minimal backgrounds and sketchy, impressionistic detailing keep the focus right on the zany animals. Of course, a “lazy turtle” meeting an oval would create the side-splitting combo of a “SLOW-VAL.” A dramatic page turn transforms a deeply saturated, clean-lined green oval by superimposing a head and turtle shell atop, with watery blue ripples completing the illusion. What a mischievous twist on a concept book! With wordplay and a few groan-inducing puns, Neal creates connections among animals and shapes that are both unexpected and so seemingly obvious that readers might wonder why they didn’t see them all along. You think you know shapes? Animals? Blend them together, and you might see them both a little differently! Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday.
Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. For E there are an elephant and a calf U features a unicorn and foal and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar-biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. The wordlessness lends the pages versatility, creating opportunities for children to find the button on every page, build vocabulary, and use their imaginations to tell their own stories about what they see.Īll in all, this is a clever, attractive book that parents and children will thoroughly enjoy.Īnimal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.Įach page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. Jocelyn’s ( Sam Sorts, 2017) mixed-media collage illustrations pair gorgeous patterns with rich textures, creating delightful images that children will recognize from their daily lives. Finally, the button ends up finding its place among a colorful collection of fellow lost buttons, giving children the opportunity to spot it one last time. On different pages, the button is a cherry on the top of an ice cream cone, a wheel on a fire truck, and even a porthole on a pirate ship. In this charmingly illustrated, wordless board book, a red button falls off a raincoat and wanders through various alternative identities befitting its color and shape. A red button falls off a coat and ends up on an adventure.
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