Ellen Mayer

Discovering patterns in the world around us meets familiar scenes with happy moments and fun.

A child and its mother are off to Grandma's house, riding a bike to get there. On their way, they pass traffic lights, which turn yellow, red and green. The mother points this out to her child, and when they make a stop at a store, the child notices the pattern in something else. Soon, they discover other patterns together.

The good vibes and positive emotions start this book out on a wonderful note and will have young listeners wanting to head out, too. The first example of a pattern, a traffic light, isn't only familiar, but listeners will have plenty of opportunity to spot this example when they are out-and-about themselves. It's a clever start. By tying this pattern to the next...and that in a store with toys...a nice flow is created, which hits the point in a way kids can connect to. This doesn't overload with patterns, either, but sticks to just a few.

The text is a little heavier than in many board books for this age group but stays at a level young listeners can understand. There are extra, repetitive phrases to add fun and invite listeners to join in. This goes beyond just the tale and includes things such as the patterned sound of the bicycle...a gentle way to illustrate the theme.

The illustrations are very detailed and hold familiar scenes. These allow for a little exploration and will have listeners discovery small things they didn't notice before when revisiting the read.

This is part of a series, which introduces first building blocks to math logic. There's also a Spanish edition (I believe) available. So, this book has a lot to offer.
I received a DRC and found this to be well done.… (plus d'informations)

There are two versions of this book, one with English only and one with both English and Spanish. I read the dual book and as Spanish is not a language that I would be learning, I would have preferred the English only version. I found there was a lot of text and it was a bit distracting. This story features a father/child relationship cleaning up and performing other daily tasks. Each two page spread offers simple language and key words involving position and/or location. Repeated reading of this book would help the child to learn these concepts as well as the idea that cleaning up is an expectation and normal part of life (some children are never taught to clean up). I enjoyed the use of BOLDFACE text for the short words or phrases that will urge children to echo or chime in with the reading. The illustrations are wonderful. They are bright, realistic and full of detail. There is a note to parents and caregivers sharing how everyday activities offer rich opportunities to teach early spatial math concepts. As a retired teacher, I can not stress the importance of using those teachable moments enough. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book to read upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.… (plus d'informations)