Whose Hands Are These?

January 1, 2016

K-Gr 3-Paul and Powell have created an interactive rhyming gem: a guessing game with verbal and pictorial hints praising workers from a variety of fields. The recto of each spread features images of hands, which pop against white backgrounds, and a hint about which job is being described ("These hands help us keep the peace./Hold yours up, it's the..."). Readers turn the page for a full-color illustration revealing the occupation. Children will learn about farmers, cooks, police, scientists, potters, news reporters, mechanics, architects, referees, physicians, and teachers. These discoveries lead to the final spread, which expands the game to the thoughtful question, "What could your hands do?" At this point, an airplane pilot and astronaut are added to the picture, suggesting that when it comes to selecting a career, the sky is the limit. The back matter includes insightful explanations of the featured workers' duties. VERDICT A well-organized and attractive look at careers.-Nancy Call, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos, CA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015
Rhyming verses and illustrations of hands working give readers the opportunity to guess what community jobs people do. "Stop and go, these hands are waving. / Catch that guy! He's misbehaving! / These hands help us keep the peace. / Hold yours up, it's the... // police!" The richly colored and nicely textured illustrations show a hand holding a radio, a pointing index finger, hands writing a summons, and a hand holding a stop sign. From the commonplace to those that rarely appear in picture books, the other occupations include farmer, cook, scientist, potter, news reporter, mechanic, architect, referee, and physician. The final puzzle reveals the hands of teachers, a perfect segue to the final spread, which shows a classroom full of tots dressed as community helpers before an adult audience of the same. In both the pictures showing only hands and in the full-page reveals, people of all genders, ages, and ethnicities are displayed. Backmatter includes two double-page spreads describing each of the careers--what that job entails and the education/experience needed for it. A great addition to libraries' and teacher's shelves for units on community helpers. (author's note) (Informational picture book. 3-7)

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December 15, 2015
Grades K-2 This picture book takes a close look at community helpers, inviting readers to identify what profession a helper holds based on what that person does with his or her hands. Double-page spreads tease the reader with jaunty rhymes describing the work, which is revealed when the page is turned. The illustrations hold hints as well: a potter's hands are shown shaping clay, a farmer's collecting eggs from a hen house, and a cook's rolling dough, just to name a few. Moreover, care has been taken to ensure that people of all ages, races, and genders are depicted doing the worksometimes solo, sometimes in pairs or teams. Beyond the content, the text is linguistically complex and fun, helping readers to build vocabulary with words associated with the professions. At the end, readers can learn more about the book's 11 community helpers with brief profiles offered for each profession. An engaging, well-executed resource.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)