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
16 pp.
| Greenwillow
| May, 2024
|
TradeISBN 9780063384743$10.99
(2)
PS
This hybrid accordion board book gives babies the best of both worlds. To many of the iconic images from Hoban’s classic board books Black on White and White on Black (both published in 1993) have now been added color photos of adorable children wearing or holding one of the objects shown in the black-and-white images. A baby drinks from a bottle (on a page abutting the original silhouette of a bottle), a young child holds a flower, another baby wears a bib, etc. Sure to keep the very youngest book-users enthralled during “tummy time.”
(4)
PS
The shapes in the title are the subject of a series of color photographs of everyday scenes, unaccompanied by text. While children will enjoy identifying the objects in each image, most photographs feature only one type of shape. This book lacks some of the cleverness and challenge of Hoban's other titles.
30 pp.
| Morrow/Tupelo
| May, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-688-16918-X$$6.95 1997, Greenwillow
(3)
PS
A color photo of a piece of construction equipment is juxtaposed with a close-up photo of the same truck or machine in action. An annotated pictorial glossary details the particular purpose of each piece of machinery. The youngest truck fans will appreciate this board book edition, which has omitted the original picture book's odd inclusion of a residential neighborhood garbage truck.
(3)
PS
Color photos illustrate double-page spreads featuring the numbers 1 through 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 100. As always, Hoban shows readers a new way to view the everyday world: twenty mannequin heads wear hats and sunglasses, twelve rolls of paper towels sit in a cabinet, and five crushed soda cans shine on wet pavement. Opposite the photo are the numeral, the number spelled out, and a corresponding number of dots.
(4)
PS
Captionless, colorful photographs of such things as seashells, food, animals, hats, pots and pans, and jelly beans are interesting to look at but aren't clear examples of the title concepts--lessening the impact of the book. The well-composed photos offer some occasions for general discussion, but it's difficult to glean teaching opportunities from this concept book.