Who Has These Feet?

August 8, 2011
This guess-the-animal book asks readers to identify species by looking at their feet. Hulbert describes how each animal’s treads are acclimated to its particular environment: a tree frog’s toes are sticky; a squirrel uses the claws on its toes to scamper along trees; and a sea turtle has flippers for swimming. A gatefold features all of the animals together—“Who has these feet? We have these feet!” Brooks’s naturalistic yet affable animals will likely inspire readers to take a closer look at their own feet. Ages 3–7.

July 1, 2011
Who has these feet and what do they do?

Close-up illustrations of animal feet are paired with the title question, "Who has these feet?" A page turn reveals the entire animal in its natural habitat. Many young readers will gleefully guess or know the answer already, but there are some tricky ones, making the format an especially useful one for preschoolers and early-elementary children. Readers learn not only to whom the feet belong but how the various feet help the animal survive in its environment. A duck's webbed feet serve it well underwater, helping it swim fast, while a tree frog's sticky toes prevent it from falling off rain forest leaves. From the snowy Arctic to the desolate desert, these animals and their funky feet come from all corners of the Earth, giving readers beginning lessons in zoology, ecology and geography (though it's too bad there's no map to extend the learning). The text and concept are refreshingly simple, while still educating and entertaining. The richly colored and realistic watercolor illustrations depict child-friendly beasts without anthropomorphizing them. A gatefold at the conclusion brings all the animals together, and a checkerboard of heads and feet on its flaps is a ready-made matching game.

Young animal fans will find much to enjoy and are sure to ask for multiple readings. (Informational picture book. 3-7)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2011

K-Gr 1-Nine animals present their tootsies for detailed examination in this attractive, informational picture book. After repeating the title question, Hulbert provides one succinct explanatory sentence for each animal on the reason why its foot is shaped as it is: "A squirrel has claws on its toes so it can run up and down trees." Children who are just beginning to read will find the bold font a decent size and easy to manage. The final gatefold opens out from both right and left to create a four-page spread showing all of the animals in a review lineup rendered in watercolors. While older collections may have Peter Parnall's Feet! (Macmillan, 1988), with descriptions of animal feet by size, speed, and other attributes, or various new titles on shoes for every occasion and occupation such as Stephen R.Swinburne's Whose Shoes?: A Shoe for Every Job (Boyds Mills, 2010), this title earns its own place on current picture-book shelves.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2011
Preschool-G This appealing picture book looks at animals' feet. A typical section opens with the question Who has these feet? facing a full-page, close-up illustration of two feet. Turn the page to see an animal and read a sentence commenting on how its feet are well adapted to the animal's needs and environment. For instance, the positions of a parrot's claws enable it to hold onto branches. The sentence A polar bear has fur on the bottom of its feet so it won't slip on the ice is accurate, but, perhaps to keep the text short, the fur's importance as insulation isn't mentioned. Clean and simple, the watercolor illustrations show the animals' feet clearly against a white background on the first spread of each section, and the animal in its habitat in the double-page painting that follows. Two foldout pages create a satisfying finale. The simple text, the colorful illustrations, and the guessing game combine to make this an engaging picture book for reading aloud.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)