I HEARD A LITTLE BAA

by Elizabeth MacLeod ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1998

Using rhythm, rhyme, animal noises, and gatefold pages for the guessing-game element of surprise, this book should be an instant hit with the very young. A simple three-line verse on the left--""I heard a little baa; It woke me from my sleep. First I saw a wooly face""--is opposite a gatefold page on the right. Part of the animal pokes out; the page opens out to reveal the rest of the animal and the rest of the rhyme: ""And then I saw a sheep."" MacLeod repeats the sequence with bear, cat, mouse, snake, dog, bee (accompanied by a particularly childlike rendition of a fat striped bee--and never mind that the stinger is on the wrong end), and pig. She ends with one more surprise--the narrator himself, a little boy in a propellor-topped beanie. On the initial reading, children may miss the bits and pieces of him that show in the illustrations, but they'll love pointing him out during subsequent readings. Phillip's cheerful, brightly colored illustrations and their crayon-like outlines add considerable humor to the text.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998

ISBN: 1554531799

Page Count: 24

Publisher: "Kids Can Press (85 River Rock Dr., Buffalo, NY 14207)"

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1998

Categories: CHILDREN'S