Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The creator of Press Here (2011), Mix It Up! (2014), and Let's Play (2016) here enhances his explorations of color and motion by adding sound to the mix. To be clear, there's no actual audio present; instead, Tullet conveys auditory cues through visual symbols. He begins with a single blue dot (Oh) whose volume varies with his size. Oh can count, change speed, vary his pitch, shiver, and cry. The introduction of a similarly accomplished red dot (Ah) allows the two to interact: conversing, singing, roaring, arguing, and making up. Finally, they are joined by Waahoo! (a yellow dot surrounded by smaller yellow dots), and real play begins. The three display characteristic movements (bouncing, spiraling, and jumping), imitate animals and cars, and experiment with creating language. Once again Tullet achieves what should be impossible using only dots, lines, primary colors, and a few simple phrases. As in the earlier titles, text is kept to a minimum, consisting mostly of Oh, Ah, and Waahoo! and a few simple directions (Put your finger on this dot and say OH!). He makes good use of size (indicating volume) and comic conventions (signaling emotions and movements), resulting in a creative and interactive experience for toddlers and their caregivers. Who needs bells and whistles when you have a Tullet?--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Tullet adds to his collection of books (Press Here, Mix It Up!, etc.) in which readers interact with dots on the page. This time, the painted dots designate sound: small blue dots for small sounds ("Now put your finger on the little dot and say a little oh!") and larger ones for louder sounds ("Then put your finger on the big dot and say a huge oh!"). The narrator makes helpful suggestions but never turns bossy: "Make a shivering oh! (You could even shake the book a little bit.)" Activities and ideas come thick and fast as red dots join the blue ones: they make animal noises, argue, and then make up. With the addition of yellow ("Hi! Say waahoo! With your finger"), noises and frantic activity proliferate, and the pages grow more beautiful as well, with a Mondrian-like palette of basic primaries. Franceschelli's translation renders Tullet's French in easy, natural English. Parents and young children will enjoy going through the pages of sound experiments together-it's a book that's all about play, the noisier the better. Ages 3-5. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Tullet's latest interactive offering encourages readers to experiment with sound. The author/illustrator tells children to say "oh!" each time they see a blue dot. The size of the dots changes: a large one prompts kids to let out a loud "oh!"; a tiny one, a soft "oh." Tullet spreads the dots far apart on the page to slow things down and groups them together to speed things up. When a red dot enters the mix ("say 'ah!'"), the words and illustrations become wonderfully wacky. What would it sound like if the blue dot had a conversation with the red dot? Or if they were tickled? Blending elegance and whimsy, Tullet artfully places simple shapes against a white background, letting the images turn delightfully chaotic at times. An argument between the two circles has a frantic, Jackson Pollock-esque feel, while a scene in which the narrator asks readers to pretend that the dots are jumping on a trampoline evokes the joyful energy of Keith Haring's graffiti. Visible smears on the spots add a painterly charm. The enthusiastic text matches the lively -visuals. VERDICT Whether shared in a group or one-on-one, this dynamic selection will make a boisterous read-aloud. Consider using it to introduce youngsters to the -concept of musical notation. Pure fun.-Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal © Copyright 2017. 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 Kirkus Book Review
Another infectiously joyful romp from the panjandrum of playful pointillism. A blue dot, a red dot, and a yellow dot, each associated with an elemental sound"Oh," "Ah," and "Waahoo" respectivelymultiply, change size (volume) and position, hold conversations, bounce ("A little wilder now?"), combine, sing together, and at last invent "a whole new language" with successive page turns and taps. Offering terse directions along with plenty of praise and encouragement as he goes, Tullet presents not only invitations to whisper and shout on cue, but challenges to physical and vocal dexterity alike, opportunities to act out and then practice dialing it down, even elemental musical instruction. At 64 pages, there's a lot going on, but his command of rhythm and pacing along with his sheer inventiveness will keep readers totally engaged. In the climactic display, dots explode like fireworks, with loads of new colors that call for more made-up sounds. "Zoop" is the least of it. "Waahoo!" comes closer. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
