Book Review: You and Me

Due to technical difficulties that plagued the blog all week last week, I have chosen to reissue last weeks articles. The good news is that we have moved to a different server and everything APPEARS to be fixed! Thanks for bearing with me and we will now resume our regularly scheduled content! ~Stacy

Book Info

Author: Stella Blackstone
Illustrator: Giovanni Manna
Pages: 32 Pages
Publisher/Date: Barefoot Books, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-84686-336-3
Ages: Read Alone: 4-7
Read Together: All Ages

Summary

You and Me is a simple lap book that artistically introduces children to opposites. A little boy and girl use their imaginations and “pretend” themselves to be animals, objects, actions and moods.

My Opinion

I cannot talk about what makes You and Me a great book for young children without talking about the illustrations. In fact, the illustrations tell the story by themselves independent on the text. The style of artwork reminded me immediately of the work of Mary Engelbriet. The artist prepared the illustrations in china ink. Each illustration mirrors the text but also adds to it. For instance, “You’re a tiger” and “I’m a bear” shows the little girl as a tiger and the little boy as a bear. It goes further by showing the tiger in a jungle setting while the bear is portrayed in a woodland environment.

I have found the exterior of each picture to be particularly charming as they extending the story further. In the spread “You’re moving” and “I’m Still” the outer frame of the picture shows objects that are about movement and things that stand still. These a great for making You and Me “conversational” and enhances the way kids can interact with the story.

Final Review

You and Me is a beautifully illustrated lap book that kids would enjoy reading over and over because they may notice new things each time. I would recommend this sturdy book for children 2-6. It would make a good beginner reader book for kindergarten kids. Toddlers and preschoolers would also enjoy the pictures and it would be a good book to learn pre reading skills like identifying objects.

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