I Hear…

PreS-Gr 1—Each title in this lively series focuses on one specific sense within a repetitive format. A first-person description starts the interactions; for example, I Hear… "…a bee buzzing/…a bird singing/…thunder crashing/…drums banging," etc. A transparent page inserted within the book contains one reversible object and influences both sides of the illustration. In I See…, a plane on the page "far" appears in a window from a distance as a child looks on; to exemplify the term "near," the plane rests on a person's hand. Thick black lines enhance blocky shapes against bold, stark backgrounds with quite clever visual results. In the third book, the words, "I smell…" begin the text while succinct phrases are used to describe familiar aromas, "…cakes baking/…dinner burning!" While some items convey pleasing scents, other examples elicit not so favorable responses. The picture of the skunk provides this disclaimer: "…awful. Keep away!" A disgruntled bear with an image of a person on its snout accompanies the caption, "…YOU from far, far away!" All in all, these are bright graphic introductions.—Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC