I LIKE FRUIT

Siminovich’s stylish collages join the plethora of concept books that marry food with color. Red (strawberry, raspberry, cherries), green (apple, kiwi, grapes), yellow (pear, banana, lemon) and orange (orange, cantaloupe, peach) each get a double-page spread, with blue (blueberries) and purple (plum) getting short shrift at the end. With the exception of the last two, each color comprises the upper-left quadrant of recto, with the other three quadrants occupied by the three fruits in question; verso finds one fruit reproduced full-page with a touch-and-feel element incorporated into the collage; the smooth, rubbery apple skin is particularly effective. It’s been done before, but the sophistication of the presentation makes this one worth paying attention to. I Like Bugs (ISBN: 978-0-7636-4802-2) counts insects from one to five with similar touch-and-feel collage work. (Board book. 6 mos.-3)