The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

LaCroix, Debbie Bernstein

It's Almost Time

32 pp. | Kane/Miller | September, 2011 | Trade ISBN 978-1-935279-85-3 $14.99

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sarah Chalek. Presenting a wide assortment of timepieces, this book begins with rhymed text--sometimes a bit forced--then moves to onomatopoeic descriptions of specific clocks ("Bzzzzz cries the buzzer clock angrily"). Humor comes through in the illustrations, which feature a cartoon horse wearing multiple watches and his blue jay pal. From grandfather clocks to cuckoos, it's a pleasant, if somewhat pointless, catalog of timekeepers.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian