Review by New York Times Review
IT was a day for a parent to remember when the not-quite-2-year-old daughter of the Russian children's poet Kornei Chukovsky toddled up to her father and, looking "mischievous and embarrassed at the same time, as if she were up to some intrigue," blurted out, "Daddy, 'oggie - meow!" Chukovsky's initial response was to correct the little girl, but he caught himself and joined in the game, having grasped that in telling her first joke, his daughter had arrived at a major milestone: the discovery that words were as much her playthings as the dolls and building blocks called toys. Such toddler-like forays into abstract thought set up the preschooler's more established craving for make-believe: stories about talking animals and other imaginary beings, shape-shifting let'spretend games, dress-up. For children advancing through this expansive, fluid time, the sparklingly droll and imaginative drawings of "Animal Masquerade" are made to measure. Marianne Dubuc, a French Canadian artist, has created a delightful cavalcade of birds and beasts, nattily attired as they prepare for a costume party. Nearly all have opted to go as a different animal, and much of the heat generated by these sly, elegant pencil drawings comes from seeing the natural order so freely scrambled. In an effort to pass himself off as a mouse, the zebra dons a cone-shaped mask with whiskers and a curlicue tail. The mouse, meanwhile, perches on stilts for a look at life as a flamingo. When it comes to dreams of living large, it's the ladybug, however, who takes the prize, suiting up as a hippopotamus - albeit a hilariously puny one. Only the platypus chooses not to dress up - because, as the narrator notes deadpan, "he looks like he's already in disguise." The hen, alas, doesn't wear a costume either: "She didn't understand a thing," the narrator reports, perhaps holding back a crocodile tear. "(She isn't very smart.)" Others dress as nursery tale animals, including the elegant swan and her two cygnets, who deftly conceal beaks under pretend snouts in order to become the Three Little Pigs without looking too piggish. The only human in the procession - another nursery tale character, Little Red Riding Hood - has made the most foolish costume selection of all. Clueless as ever, she has disguised herself as a chocolate cake, prompting the narrator to pipe up with alarm: "The bear has quite a sweet tooth. Be careful, Little Red Riding Hood!" Margaret Wise Brown, the author of "Goodnight Moon" and other classics, and Eric Carle, creator of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," are the masters of the non-narrative picture book. Such readalouds are usually centered on a simple, repetitive, gamelike structure that invites young children to chime in collaboratively. Books like theirs, including this one, give the young a springboard for making up their own characters and stories, no instructions necessary. Dubuc may well inspire readers to reach for their crayon boxes. But as her animal friends remind us: to each his own. For some it will be quite enough to watch this adroit artist turn a lion into an elephant and an elephant into a parrot. In "Hide and Seek," the Korean illustrator Il Sung Na ("A Book of Sleep," "Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit") teases out the narrative possibilities in the clever idea that a game long favored by the young and restless at recess is also the chameleon's game in nature. While a cuddly elephant counts out loud from 1 to 10, his equally adorable wildland friends (a giraffe, a rhino and others) scramble for cover. But it's the chameleon - the single poker-face member of the group - we're meant to keep tabs on, the artist having concealed the changeable fellow in every scene. Readers, of course, get to play hideand-seek too. In a few illustrations - each a digitally prepared mix of line drawing and richly hued and textured collage - Na has not made it easy, though we're not quite in "Where's Waldo?" territory either." The elephant's count is a stress-free chance for younger preschoolers to brush up on their numbers, while the images' wildly shifting perspectives make a trip through these pages a kind of visual roller-coaster ride. Collage, including painted and textured cut-paper elements and snippets of photographs, is also the medium used by Marc Brown, of Arthur the Aardvark fame, for "If All the Animals Came Inside," a collaboration with Eric Pinder. Brown's first venture into collage has a carload of enthusiasm behind it, along with this seasoned artist's knack for communicating directly with children via humor. The story, told in nicely turned, high-energy verse, is a child's fantasy of what might happen if a horde of animals were to move in. It's a farcical, made-for-slapstick premise with distant echoes of well-known stories as different as the Yiddish folk tale "It Could Always Be Worse" and Dr. Seuss' "Cat in the Hat." Pinder's narrator, a frisky 6- or 7-year-old, starts out by imagining that he and his siblings like the new setup much more than their parents do. For the children, this is home as a neverending day at a theme park, with no end of novel, raucous adventures. Then, just as reasonably, the boy imagines having had his fill, and wanting to have his old young life back. Childhood, after all, isn't entirely about being imaginative. Doggies sometimes do actually go woof. Leonard S. Marcile is the editor of "The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth" and the - forthcoming "Show Me a Story! Why Picture Bootes Matter."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [June 3, 2012]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Just like children everywhere, the animals in this picture book's rain forest amuse themselves with a game of hide-and-seek. When Elephant offers to count, things get off to a rocky start ( 'Hey! No peeking!' shouts Flamingo ), but soon everyone including Rhino, Gorilla, the starlings, and the big-eyed bush babies are experiencing the familiar where should I hide? panic. Tall Giraffe's options are limited to trees, and Tortoise, who can pull himself into his own hiding place, is mistaken for a rock. Birds have the obvious advantage, but there's one animal who can best them all: Chameleon. Na (The Book of Sleep, 2009) creates swirling, vibrant, digital illustrations that sparkle as they introduce the pals at play and present the spectacular rain forest from a number of vantage points. Elephant, set off on the right-hand side, restlessly switches positions with each page turn (it's sometimes dull being the counter), and his voice grows louder as the tension mounts and the number approaches 10. Not only is this a fun introduction to 1 to 10 counting but there is also the opportunity to join in the action: Where is Chameleon hiding? With a glorious color palette and an accessibly presented topic, this will be a sure hit with preschoolers.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Na's (Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit) creative vision turns a group of animals' game of hide and seek into a joyful spectacle. Featuring a predominantly pastel palette, the delicate art incorporates a range of intricate patterns and textures. As in Na's previous books, swirls and spirals are common motifs, giving the pictures buoyancy and a sense of motion. The game is set in a rain forest where an elephant with heart-patterned ears counts to 10, as other animals find hiding places of varying ingenuity. A giraffe takes cover behind a tall tree, while a gorilla stands atop a mottled turtle, pretending he's a statue. The cleverest player, of course, is the chameleon, and readers can find him in various scenes, including a dazzling, sunlit spread in which the chameleon's friends give up and shout "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Na's shifts in perspective-spying on the game from behind, from above, and from below-add visual interest, and the elephant's continued counting "1... 2... 3..." generates a fitting degree of excitement and low-grade tension. Ages 2-5. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-The illustrations in Hide & Seek are colorful, beautiful, and unique. The story line is simple and sweet, and readers will like counting to 10 with Elephant until he is ready to find his friends. This book would be enjoyable for one-on-one sharing, so children can pore over the distinctive art and look for the hidden animals. The friends are very easy to find, except Chameleon. Preschoolers will delight in the fanciful illustrations and want to participate in the counting down and play hide-and-seek. A lovely addition to most collections.-Kathy Buchsbaum, Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, New York (c) Copyright 2012. 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
In a game of hide-and-seek, Elephant counts to ten, then finds all his friends except, of course, Chameleon, who jumps out and surprises everyone. The pacing in the simple text builds a gentle tension that complements the efforts of Giraffe, Hippo, Flamingo, and others to hide. Handmade colored patterns that are layered digitally depict a fanciful, energetic rainforest. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Picture book. 2-5) ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
