LOOK, written and illustrated by Fiona Woodcock. Greenwillow Books, Harper. 2018. $21.99 ages 3 and up

"bamboo

boogie

cocoon

swoop

baboon"


Just as the sun is rising, with a loud 'cock-a doodle-doo as a reminder, two young children look to the sun. From then on, their day is filled with words that have a double O. Breakfast food consists of two fried eggs. Once breakfast is done, they slip their feet into boots. A trip to the zoo is the first order of business. They get there in a car driven by their mother who loves speed and zooms toward their destination.

Now you have the premise, and for the rest of the book you will be impressed. It is a great deal of fun, providing lots of language learning and encouraging rapt attention to the details found in the artwork created using 'hand-cut rubber stamps, stencils, BLO pens, and additional pencil line work, all composited digitally.' Sounds very complicated, works beautifully to show the range of words the children find on their adventurous day. The images hold attention and invite conversation.

Read it once, then read it again. The second time you will notice that the text follows the full day the two siblings enjoy, beginning with the early morning wake-up and ending with a good book and a night's snooze under the full moon!

Kids will love this book, and might find inspiration to strike on their own with new words and art.
Simple? Perhaps. Clever? Indeed!