NOT ALL ANIMALS ARE BLUE

Boutignon’s debut encourages an interaction among the text and the adult and child(ren) who are sharing it. A seek-and-find book of a different sort, each spread presents readers with five similar animals with slight differences in attitude, manner, dress, accessory, color or movement. Five statements encourage children to look closer and differentiate among them. The key word in each statement appears in a different color, and that color correlates to the answer. For instance: “He can’t sleep without his blanket.” The pink of the highlighted “blanket” matches the pink blanket in the illustration. Not all are that easy, challenging children to think in new ways and to use the process of elimination in their problem solving. The animals are rendered with whimsical precision in pen, pencil and oil on a clean white background, making their similarities and differences stand out all the more. Reminiscent of Judi Barrett’s Which Witch Is Which? (2001), illustrated by Sharleen Collicott, this is certain to stand up to repeat readings. While the delicacy of the illustrations limits audience size, smaller groups will surely enjoy it. (Picture book. 2-6)