Cold, Crunchy, Colorful

February 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 2-Once again, Brocket has created a rich, sensory treat that young children will thoroughly enjoy. Using her signature photography brimming with color and detail, she invites her audience to use all five senses to soak up the world around them. Thanks to spectacular tight shots, youngsters can almost hear the splashing of a waterfall, smell freshly baked bread, taste the crunchy edges of a fried egg, and feel the velvety covering of a budding flower. The text is minimal but packs a descriptive punch, and it's presented in a fun font against neutral, textured rectangles. The concluding spread asks readers to name all five senses again and think about which ones they're using in that moment. This selection would be a wonderful tool for heightening a child's awareness of all the sensory experiences afforded by an outing to the park or any other venue or for a fun sensory-based scavenger hunt at home on a dreary day. In any case, it's a book that will be pored over again and again, thanks to photography that absolutely pops.-Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2014
Brocket's latest in the Clever Concepts series uses photographs to explore the five senses. The text explains the five senses in a way even the youngest of readers can understand, and it's paired with simple photos that highlight just what the text is mentioning but that are also full of patterns, shapes, colors and textures. They highlight everyday sights and objects with new angles and perspectives that will have kids looking around on walks in the neighborhood--plants, architectural details, rocks and flowers are prominently featured. We use our eyes to see colors, read books, discern patterns; our ears to hear; we feel with our hands, our feet, our skin; our noses smell things that are nice but also things that are not so nice--garbage, for instance. "We use our tongues to taste.... // We can taste many flavors. Juicy cherries, spicy chilies, and jammy cookies. / Oily, salty fish. Fluffy vanilla frosting. Cool, minty toothpaste." Brocket concludes by pointing out that we often use more than one sense at a time--eating a crunchy pretzel twist uses all five senses at once--and two pages of photo collages challenge readers to name which senses are in use in each. Teachers and parents eager for their children to experience the world in a different way will be thrilled. (Informational picture book. 3-7)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2014
Preschool-G From the cover's richly colored photographs and the alliterative sound of the title, Brocket invites children to explore the world with their five senses. One at a time, each sense is examined, partnering those eye-popping pictures with simple declaratory text. First, our eyes: they see the world around us, including patterns, colors, and shapes. Second, our ears hear loud sounds and quiet sounds. Third, our hands, feet, and skin feel rough, smooth, wet, cold, grainy, and warm textures. Fourth, our noses smell fragrant, pungent, ripe, and rotten scents. And finally, our tongues taste sweet, sour, and salty flavors, and can distinguish between them. After these great examples of visual learning, readers are given the opportunity to choose which senses they use in different settings. For example: Can you say which senses we use when we . . . take a walk outside? This is just one entry in the Jane Brocket's Clever Concepts series, all of which share the same snazzy appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)