Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a sleekly designed and clever imagined book, French graphic designer Contraire assembles collections of roughly a dozen insects, vehicles, animals, clothing, sporting goods, and more, printed in contrasting shades of kelly green and fuchsia that give the spreads the flat, grainy look of vintage posters. On close examination, readers can spot a playful imposter among each set of images: an ice cream cone infiltrates a grouping of tools (yet is equally made for holding in one's hand); a pinwheel stands among trees, its handle mimicking their trunks; and a turtle's shell is easily mistaken for a cloche hat when it's surrounded by a fez, top hat, ball cap, and other headgear. Subtle humor combines with impeccable design as Contraire invites readers to consider perception, classification, and form. Ages 3-6. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
When does a lamp resemble a flower? When it's presented alongside flowers rendered in identical colors. This wordless book features twenty-nine two-page spreads offering similar seek-and-find pleasures (and a subtle message about the importance of paying attention). The striking illustrations are created with stencil patterns and a palette of fuchsia, Kelly green, and the rich brown that results from overlapping them. (c) Copyright 2017. 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
A picture-book invitation to look carefully and observe.While some readers may be familiar with the Sesame Street song One of these things is not like the others, this French imports subtitle first invites consideration of the similarities among objects before determining which one is undercover. The cover image showing a turtle among a group of hats highlights the limited color palette of brown, bright pink, and green against a white background. The forms are bold stenciled shapes and colors, and the turtle is about the same size as the hats. The turtles shell upon its body visually evokes the idea of a hat resting upon someones head, and yet it is a living creature, while the hats are articles of clothing. The solitary snail on the title page suggests a slowness that will reward careful looking. Ensuing juxtapositions depict similarities in form, size, color, and sometimes function or other times biological classification from one spread to the next, with, usually, four images in three straight rows on each double-page spread. One spread depicting structures may give some readers pause, as it includes such structures as a tepee, an office building, a factory with smokestacks, an igloo, and a simple cape-style house. These arent all dwellings, nor are they all permanent structures, and the undercover item is a confusingly indeterminate two-tiered object with a flame (or is it a cherry?) on top. Slow down and look! (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
