Heart to Heart

Starred review from October 31, 2016
Pun lovers, foodies, and puzzlers of all ages will be charmed by Ehlert's love poem, which is packaged in a gift-ready, small-format trim size and constructed around playful rebus-style images of food items and other objects. "I'm when I c u," begins one line, " u, n it shows,/ My starts / from my head down ." The contrast between the electric blues, pinks, greens, and other vivid colors Ehlert uses for her cut-paper artwork makes her spreads seem to vibrate with excited energy, and the various rebus items are labeled for those still learning words such as lime, plum, and lettuce. While there is the occasional groaner tucked in here and there ("We could brate"), only the surliest readers won't crack a smile as they turn the pages. Irresistible. Up to age 8.

October 1, 2016
Ehlert combines her iconic cut-paper images of fruits and vegetables with some text-speak to create a rebus story for Valentines Day.The picture-book form and its content dont mesh all that well, as this describes a romantic love rather than that between two friends or a parent and child. Do U [carrot] all 4 me? // [peas] give a sign or Q. // [Heart] talks r not EZ, // i [leaf] it up 2u. // But if my plea suc[seeds], // n U say ok, // we could [celery]brate // N then mayB // r 2 [hearts] //could [beet] as 1 // someday. Still, there arent many children who are not familiar with like sentiments on the ubiquitous seasonal heart-shaped candies, and they will not be able to resist chiming in to name the familiar foods or, if they know their letters and numbers, call out the ones that stand for whole words. Each spread is a different vibrant color that neatly complements the colors of the objects and text on the pages. And the tiny trim size (just under 6 inches square) makes this an intimate book for sharing one-on-one (or an extra-clever valentine for teens and adults to give). Rebuses get a text update for a modern love note. (Picture book. 3-6)

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