Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a zany yet thought-provoking follow-up to If You Hopped Like a Frog, the collaborators present colorful hypotheses intended to spark kids' curiosity about relative size: If Dogs Were Dinosaurs by David M. Schwartz, illus. by James Warhola. "If your dog were as big as a dinosaur... his dinner would fill up your living room." This and subsequent statements lend themselves to hyperbolic art, which Warhola delivers with gusto. Added together, graphics and text provide readers with ample opportunity to laugh and learn. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-Schwartz, whose How Much Is a Million? (HarperCollins, 1985) explained REALLY big numbers to young readers, now tackles proportion and relative size. The concept is complicated and the book doesn't succeed in simplifying it, even with an appendix that explains the logic behind each example. The problems seem randomly selected and the explanations, while kid-friendly, are far from concrete: "If Ralphie were as tall as a redwood-his big sister could land a hook shot on top of the Washington Monument" or "If a chocolate bar covered the mall-each almond would be the size of a blimp." Warhola's pen-and-watercolor drawings humorously interpret each statement, but the book is only moderately effective. Children interested in the sizes of things are better served by the wonderful collages in Steve Jenkins's Actual Size (Houghton, 2004).-Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
If a chocolate bar covered the mall..each almond would be the size of a blimp."" In an engaging leap of imagination aided by amusing illustrations, Schwartz explores the concept of relative size. The math used to figure out these relationships is included in the back matter. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
