Little White Fish

PreS—Two concept books designed to appeal to very young readers with bold, simple illustrations rendered in cut-out, painted papers. Little White Fish addresses colors, and Party explores opposites. While the little white fish certainly is cute, these are not the most successful concept books. Perhaps some of the eloquence of the narrative was lost translation from the original Dutch, but there is not much story here to keep readers engaged. The opposites in Party are perhaps a bit too similar for the target audience to make easy distinctions (for example: round and skinny octopuses, short and long sea snakes). In a confusing scene, the little white fish is described as having "all the colors of the rainbow…just like his mommy." Ultimately, these books are visually appealing for young children, but not substantial enough to warrant repeated readings. For parents and caregivers looking for concept picture books, time would be better spent in the worlds of Eric Carle and Laura Vaccaro Seeger.