(2) PS In Green (rev. 3/12), author-illustrator Seeger paired a color concept book with an ecological theme, following it some years later with Blue (rev. 9/18), which similarly united a consideration of color with one of emotion. Now she turns to red--sixteen shades of it, from "dark red" to "just red"--to tell the story of a lost fox. The painterly acrylic images and strategic die-cuts immerse viewers in the fox's world and trials, from it trailing the pack to becoming lost to enduring hunger, injury, and capture, until its eventual return to its family. Hues range from the "light red" of sunrise to the "blood red" of an injured paw to the "rage red" of being trapped in a cage. The season is autumn, which allows Seeger the full riot of shades of reds, but the story is an anytime one, the fox a stand-in for anyone going through trouble on the way to security.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(1) PS Inventive author-illustrator Seeger sneaks a story about loss into her celebration of all shades blue--"baby blue," "berry blue"--through a portrait of the happy life of a boy and his dog. We slowly understand that the boy is growing, and so is the dog..."old blue." As in her previous book Green, small die-cuts lead from each richly textured double-page spread to the next.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(2) K-3 The letters in worried make up a worried-looking Walter's facial features. We meet seven other children (a puzzled Priscilla, a shocked Shirley), and each letter/picture/emotion/alliteration double-page spread alternates with a spread showing worsening weather. Seeger's childlike style makes this feat of multitasking look inviting. She demonstrates a graphic concept that children--and teachers--may want to try for themselves.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2005

(2) PS Lemons shows pairs of objects (fruits, animals, vegetables) first in the wrong color through a die-cut hole, then correctly after a page turn. Boy, a counting and hidden-words book, features windows cut through right-hand pages revealing "one boy," "two seals," etc. The page turn shows three letters of the previous spread's text, incorporated into a description of the picture. Intriguing concept books. Review covers these titles: Lemons Are Not Red and One Boy.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(3) PS Seeger's classy lift-the-flap book of opposites employs a text that is simplicity itself ("tiny? huge! over? under!") to introduce concepts of contrast and context, appealingly revealed through interactive investigation. Bold colors and decisive lines, clever optical illusions (the lettering for the word simple forms part of a complicated maze), and mischievous humor combine for a thoughtful, well-packaged offering. This is a paper-over-board edition.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(2) PS Lemons shows pairs of objects (fruits, animals, vegetables) first in the wrong color through a die-cut hole, then correctly after a page turn. Boy, a counting and hidden-words book, features windows cut through right-hand pages revealing "one boy," "two seals," etc. The page turn shows three letters of the previous spread's text, incorporated into a description of the picture. Intriguing concept books. Review covers these titles: Lemons Are Not Red and One Boy.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2005

(1) PS "I used to be afraid of SPIDERS," begins the horrified narrator, looking at a large spider dangling from the ceiling. After a page turn--employing a spider-shaped die-cut--the spider shows up against a beautiful web, "But not anymore." Each intriguing die-cut effectively transforms something-to-fear into something-not-so-scary. Seeger also tackles less concrete but still real fears (change, being alone) in an emotionally resonate book.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(2) K-3 In their latest offering, the two best friends prepare Halloween costumes; receive trick-or-treaters; and go trick-or-treating themselves. The simple text is satisfying in its specificity and characterizations. The illustrations support the text and illuminate the characters' emotions, particularly with their expressive eyebrows. (Seeger's art also slips in some extra plot points.) The wordless last page changes everything in the final story.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(2) PS In this barnyard drama, a large bull tells a little bull to "GO AWAY!" When other animals ask the little bull to play, he calls them names: "CHICKEN!" "SLOW POKE!" "PIG!" In Seeger's barnyard drama, the narrative appears in dialogue bubbles, and the pictures, drawn in thick lines and in flat colors on textured rice paper, fill in the rest of the story.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013

(1) PS Two words on each spread describe a painted scene: "forest green / sea green / lime green / pea green," leading to more abstract concepts: "all green / never green / no green / forever green." With a rhyming text, die cuts, and a story for those willing to look carefully, this triumph of artistic problem-solving works for young children and for older kids to speculate on ecological issues.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012

(2) PS This paper-over-board edition of Seeger's snazzy concept book features a clever and more colorful cover that will have readers exercising their visual acuity before they even open the book. Once inside, they'll take their time looking at each object before lifting the black matte-like flap and seeing the object within the corresponding letter of the alphabet--then marveling at the metamorphosis.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2004

(1) PS What if two seals found a beach ball and began to toss it around? And what if a third seal wanted to join? In her latest innovative concept book, Seeger plays out three different scenarios. The small, square size, child friendly and unassuming, both sets off and contains the lushness of the pages, with their inviting textures, visible brushstrokes, saturated colors, and eye-holding compositions.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010

(2) K-3 Seeger provides three more stories about this dynamic duo. Her illustrations mirror the minimalist text: with a flick of the eyebrow, for example, Bear's sardonic nature peeks out; turn the page, and his concern for more-flamboyant Dog shows as those eyebrows rise in alarm. Seeger also uses wordless panels, asking readers to create their own narratives and apply knowledge of how story works.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2009

(1) K-3 The three stories, told mostly in dialogue, lend themselves to independent reading and group sharing; readers may also enjoy acting them out. Seeger demonstrates the power of the small brush stroke as Bear's eyebrows tell the whole story of what it means to be Dog's friend. A stark white background highlights the action--the rest is dark ink outlines with deep colors within.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2008

(2) PS Seeger's latest is both a counting and hidden-words book. Windows cut through each right-hand page reveal "one boy," "two seals," etc. The page turn (windows now on the left) shows three letters of the previous spread's text, incorporated into a description of the picture. This intriguing concept book's illustrations are comprised of thick black outlines and bright, solid colors.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(1) PS Seeger's book about the order of things features minimal text ("First the EGG / then the CHICKEN...") and proceeds to abstract pairs--"First the WORD / then the STORY..." Pages are color-saturated, featuring thick brush strokes on canvas. Cleverly executed cutouts reinforce the book's tactile appeal. Its tidy square shape and relatively small trim size balance the lushness of the art.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2007

(1) K-3 As in all successful friendship stories, the balance shifts, with Dog (a dachshund) and Bear (a teddy bear) taking turns being the friend-in-need and the friend indeed. The two are drawn with robust black ink outlines and filled in with paint in five colors using thick, visibly uneven brush strokes, giving the pictures an energetic, endearingly childlike quality.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2007

(3) PS Seeger's classy lift-the-flap book of opposites employs a text that is simplicity itself ("tiny? huge! over? under!") to introduce concepts of contrast and context, appealingly revealed through interactive investigation. Bold colors and decisive lines, clever optical illusions (the lettering for the word simple forms part of a complicated maze), and mischievous humor combine for a thoughtful, well-packaged offering.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(2) PS This color concept book shows pairs of objects (fruits, animals, vegetables) first in the wrong color through a die-cut hole, then correctly after a page turn. Young children will enjoy the feeling of superiority as they work to provide the correct answer before the page turns. The colors and textures look nearly edible, and the heavy paper should stand up to multiple readings and pokings.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2005

(2) K-3 Sturdy pages made of card stock feature black die-cut flaps folding down from the top. Lift the flaps and foreground turns background as pictured images become the negative space defining the letter form. Within each image, delicately subtle shadows transform shapes from convex to concave (or vice versa) once the flap is lifted. This is great bookmaking, and a snazzy--though sophisticated--addition to the alphabet bookshelf.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2004