As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
40 pp.
| Greystone Kids |
May, 2021 |
TradeISBN 978-1-77164-607-9$17.95
|
EbookISBN 978-1-77164-608-6$17.99
(1)
PS
In Flett's lively and beautifully illustrated story, animals engage in all sorts of playful behaviors, on land and in the water. Each spread depicts one or two species, with two action verbs describing their actions. Bunnies and grasshoppers "hide and hop." Owls "peek and peep." Belugas "swim and squirt." Interspersed spreads depict a group of children who, likewise, run, swim, climb, and sled, declaring, "We play too! kimêtawânaw mîna." But all that activity can be tiring, and when the animals snuggle up outside and rest together, the children do also. With only four or five words on most of the spreads, the text is spare, lilting, and sensory, emphasizing action. The pictures are similarly simple and playful, with plenty of space warmly surrounding the figures. A bold, dynamic page design and vibrant textures enhance the images, and the children's gorgeous skin tones range from deep copper-brown to beige. The back matter includes a list of animal names in English and in Cree, a pronunciation guide to Cree words, and a thoughtful author's note about human play and the connectedness of people, animals, and nature.
Reviewer: Autumn Allen
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2021