FICTION

100 Things I Love To Do with You

illus. by Amy Schwartz. 40p. Abrams. Dec. 2017. Tr $16.95. ISBN 9781419722882.
COPY ISBN
RedReviewStarPreS-Gr 2— In the same format as her 100 Things that Make Me Happy , this book employs rhyming couplets and a diverse cast of characters to celebrate things children can enjoy with the people in their lives. Readers will be familiar with many of the activities, such as "Run Races," "Make Faces," and "Toot Horns," "Pop Corn." But there are surprises, too. Some acknowledge quite playfully that youngsters occasionally engage in less acceptable behaviors, like the activity "Misbehave" that appears above two children jumping on a bed or the words "Make Trouble" beneath the illustration of a boy and girl drawing on a wall. Several like "Make Mud Pies" "Help the Sun Rise" encourage enjoyment of nature, while others such as "Snap Beans" and "Scramble Eggs" depict adult and child working companionably together. The illustrations, all painted on white backgrounds and outlined in thin black lines, are pure delight in their variety and detail. They include several small vignettes on a page, pictures enclosed within half-page rectangles, and full-page pictures framed in white. A striking diagonal scene depicts children who "Run Down Hills" and "Pick Daffodils." Every article of clothing is filled with detailed patterns, and no vehicle is duplicated in a scene of two kids at home playing with a large collection of them. Even text colors match each illustration. Checkerboard endpapers echo the palette within, and the underside of the cover features a poster recapping all 100 numbered activities.
VERDICT The great variety of activities will elicit both delighted recognition and surprise; the detailed illustrations invite repeated one-on-one viewing. A first purchase.

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