Can You See Me?

Starred review from February 1, 2014
Sharp-eyed readers are invited to spot various animals in the Costa Rican rain forest. Lewin, an intrepid world traveler, once again displays his skill at depicting mammals, birds and reptiles in their natural habitats. Camouflage is the unspoken theme. A toucan feeds in the trees, its rounded back visually echoed by the fruit he is feasting on. A vine snake slithers up a tree trunk, its sinuous length blending in with the branches. A spectacled caiman pokes its mottled head up from a cluster of lily pads. A howler monkey stares out from dark branches, while many feet below, a land crab skitters across the forest floor. A great potoo perches on a tree branch, its feathers perfectly emulating the texture and color of the bark. But then, surprise! A red poison dart frog is eye-poppingly visible. Simple declarative sentences encourage emerging readers to explore and, at the same time, develop a kinship for these creatures who "are still here." Lewin uses watercolors to brilliantly showcase the play of light and dark in the dense foliage. Sunlight shimmers, shines and fades into darkness. A pictorial guide identifies each of the animals by name. An inviting exploration of a beautiful biome for budding nature lovers. (Early reader. 2-6)

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April 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Lewin's third book in this series follows a simple pattern. Most of the e spreads show a rainforest animal and the phrase " I am a [insert animal name here]. Can you see me?" The final three pages replace the phrase "Can you see me?" with "I am hard to see. You will never see me. And I am easy to see." A large font and repetitive text make this a solid choice for emergent readers. The animals include a snake, sloth, otter, crab, lizard, and monkey. The photo-realistic paintings are detailed, verdant, and captivating. Nestled in lush depictions of their native habitat, most of the animals are quite easy to find; don't expect an "I Spy" or "Where's Waldo?"-type search. The final page shows each animal and its specific name. The big pictures make it perfect for storytime or for individual animal lovers.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2014
Preschool-K It is such a pleasure to turn the pages of a book by Lewin (What Am I? Where Am I? 2013). His lush, realistic watercolor paintings immerse the reader in whatever exotic locale has caught his attentionin this case, it's the green, teeming Costa Rica rain forest. Simple language challenges children to spot birds, mammals, reptiles, and a crab. Some are easy to find, such as the howler monkey hanging from a branch or the brilliant-red poison dart frog resting on a fallen tree, but some animals, such as the nearly submerged spectacled caiman or the vine snake, whipping its way up a tree trunk, are more of a challenge. The atmosphere is quiet and watchful as a toucan nibbles at a fig, a river otter peers from beneath a canopy of sunlit leaves, and a land crab scuttles into its burrow. The full-color illustrations on double-page spreads are soft and pleasing. Each animal is identified on a key page in the back. Lovely, engaging early-reader fare.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)