Review: Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan A. Shea. Illustrated by Tom Slaughter. Blue Apple Books, 2011 (978-1-60905-062-7)

What a fresh, fun idea for a picture book. We know that a duckling will grow to become a duck, but can a car grow to become... a truck? How about a stool and a chair? After several suggestions, the rhyming text gives us the answers: "YES to ducks, bears and owls, NO to trucks, chairs and towels. YES to cats. YES to goats. NO to hats. NO to coats." The change in rhythm keeps the rhyme scheme from getting dull, and paper flaps to lift add anticipation to the silly suggestions.

There's all sorts of easy learning in here, about the names of baby and adult animals, and about the concept of the difference between things that grow and things that are made. Matte paintings in mainly primary colors, white and black, are an age-appropriate, non-distracting backdrop to the text. (2-5)


© 2011 Wendy E. Betts

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