Want To Be Starting Something?

These two picture books are great starters for further fun!

I Spy With My Little Eye
by Edward Gibbs
Templar Books
ISBN: 978 0 7636 5284 5
Audience: 3 – 8 yrs

A die-cut circle in the chunky front cover of this book announces that it will be something a little different – and the cutout theme continues through the book as readers are given the chance to guess what lies on the other side of each stiff page with an eye, a colour, and a little clue to guide them.

The illustrations are terrific, in rich tones and loose, sketchy lines, and I like that construction is beefed up to cope with the weakness that the holes could create.

Guessing books are always a hit with kids, and I would use this with a group or just one or two kids. The great extra twist is that the extra hole at the end extends through the back cover, and invited children to play this classic kids game themselves. This on its own is not enough to recommend it, though, so rest assured, this book is not just a gimmicky one, but a fun one for sharing.

Perfect Square
by Michael Hall
Greenwillow Books
ISBN: 978 0 06 191513 0
Audience: 3 – 8 yrs

A square starts out perfectly plain, and perfectly happy. But then a series of injuries are inflicted on it, altering its shape day after day – and each day, the square responds by making something lovely of the pieces it is reduced to. It’s the quintissential lemons-to-lemonade story.

That’s not all, though, as the square learns along the way to love this, and in the end, when it is once more left alone to be a perfect square, it is a little dissatisfied until it found a way to bring a creative spirit to that simple shape. It’s a charming little story about becoming open to different things and getting in touch with creativity. Tucked in here, but not dominating the story, are concepts: colours and days of the week!

This seems like the perfect starting point for a simple art project, too – I almost wish it had come with some perfect little squares of paper to get readers started, because who wouldn’t want to have such a great ready-made project for their kid to do? It’s just the thing to extend the story.