Book Description
for From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
An engaging participation book for preschoolers pairs colorful animals with equally colorful children, as each animal invites a child to imitate a natural movement, beginning with: "I am a penguin and I can turn my head. Can you do it?" and proceeding down through the body to "I am an elephant and I can stomp my foot. Can you do it?" A different child on every facing page shows each animal (and thus the young audience of listeners) how the movements are humanly possible, responding "I can do it!" And you can bet that any child within earshot will give it a try, too, calling out the same response. Broad strokes rendered in bold colors have been painted onto separate pieces of paper which have in turn been cut out and glued onto a stark white background. This technique give the figures a lively, larger-than-life quality. The clarity of the stunning artwork combined with the simple, patterned text and the obvious child appeal of the subject matter will make From Head to Toe a great favorite as a read aloud for groups and for individual children who like to dance to the rhythm of a good story. (Ages 18 months-4 years)
CCBC Choices 1997. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 1997. Used with permission.