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32 pp.
| Candlewick
| March, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-8110-4$14.99
(3)
K-3
Bountiful multicolored flora provide beautiful cover for an elephant, a parrot, and a snake in Barroux's eye-catching collage, acrylic, and pencil illustrations. Successive spreads show their habitat yielding to deforestation and man-made buildings until at last the animals are confined to the zoo. While there's sadness in the narrative arc, this simple environmental lesson couched in seek-and-find puzzles ends on a hopeful note.
40 pp.
| Little Bee
| April, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4998-0258-0$17.99
(3)
K-3
In this nearly wordless offering, a garbage pile at ocean's bottom grows as pages are turned; concurrently, fish become worrisomely smaller in number. The resolution is clever, funny, and volumes-speaking, and the collected fish--each distinct in size, shape, and texture--dazzle the eye. Bonus: readers can hunt for a starfish, a jellyfish, and a clownfish in every spread.
32 pp.
| Little Bee
| October, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4998-0444-7$16.99
(3)
K-3
Three polar bears on an ice floe need a new home, but every time they find land, they're turned away by the animal citizenry (e.g., "You are...too bear-ish," says a cow). Humorous illustrations en route to the happy ending lighten this clever introduction to immigration and xenophobia, as when a panda in a vast space insists, "There's just not enough room!"
40 pp.
| Blue Apple
| March, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-1-60905-011-5$15.99
(3)
K-3
Humorous and full of appeal, this folded-page book contrasts everyday pets with more unusual choices. Thick pages anchored with eye-popping orange show a child holding a leash that leads to a common pet. Unfolding the page reveals the "extraordinary" option. ("A bunny hops BUT... / a flamingo walks tall.") The wannabe pet owners each resemble the more atypical critter.
32 pp.
| Eerdmans
| March, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8028-5334-9$15.00
(4)
K-3
"My goldfish is the strongest goldfish in the world." An offstage narrator describes his/her pet's qualities. Each statement is illustrated with a sight gag in the simply composed paintings ("[My fish] often forgets where he lives" shows the pet swimming in a glass of water). The book may disappoint readers expecting a story but should delight those impressed by sophisticated visual comedy.
40 pp.
| Viking
| September, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-670-05916-1$15.99
(4)
K-3
Every day, Mr. Katapat escapes to the library, where by reading he becomes a detective, a pirate, etc. The book's denouement--a collision with a similarly bookish woman shows Katapat what he's been missing--feels like a tacked-on plot device. Barroux's narrative asides ("Nice thinking cap, Mr. Lincoln," he says of Abe's stovepipe hat) and amusing illustrations of the unicycle-riding Katapat go far.
32 pp.
| Viking
| May, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-670-03601-3$$15.99
(4)
K-3
In a land where goldfish go on vacation, kangaroos play baseball, and elephants jump rope, Mary the cow asks everyone about her lost hat. Unfortunately, the repetitive device grows tiresome, and the finale lacks the drama that a long buildup requires. Each whimsical animal is dramatically rendered in bold, sculptural forms enlivened by a bright primary palette.