Park: A Foldout Book in Four Seasons

Gr 2–5—In urban parks across the country, skateboarders share spaces with soccer players, seniors with sunbathers, and squirrels with sparrows. Whatever the species, these park-goers pack into green spaces and own them with resolve, often oblivious to their neighbors' activities and antics. Hancock illustrates this urban phenomena on a panel that unfolds to nearly five feet as it unveils a landscape filled with people and creatures enjoying a variety of pastimes (fishing, bicycling, and sledding) and treats (ice cream, cocoa, and hot nuts) as the seasons change. A closer look reveals all sorts of wacky goings-on and peculiar scenarios: a young man riding a huge bee, birds sipping sodas, giant carrots and strawberries growing in a garden, ninjas and gnomelike figures strolling about, and a few skeletons waving from the sidelines as fall turns into winter. There is a lot to pore over here, and fans of Martin Handford's "Where's Waldo?" (Candlewick) will relish this title. As in those books, readers are assigned a mission: "to find lots of fun stuff." The back pages list people, animals, and objects to locate and wordless stories to follow as they develop over the year. The silly scenes detailed in pastel artwork and the hide-and-seek challenge are sure to garner an appreciative audience.—Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal