It’s a Little Book
By Lane Smith
Bibliographic citation:
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, ©2011
24 pages
ISBN 978-1-596-43758-6
Age recommendation: 1-4
Format: Children’s Board Book
Awards/Selection lists: New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award for It’s a Book.
Annotation: As a baby gorilla sits reading quietly, a baby donkey pesters him about the source of his absorption.
Review: From the creator of It’s a Book, Lane Smith gives us a board book version and it’s chock full of the same silly questions by Donkey but this time he’s in diapers. He asks, “Is it for chewing? Is it for wearing? Is it for emailing?” Gorilla repeatedly answers “No. It’s for reading.”
Lane Smith serves up stylish illustrations, as stylish as a gorilla and donkey in diapers can be. Thick charcoal lines, a sophisticated and appealing palette, the illustrations are simple and don’t change much from page to page except for Donkey trying to figure out why this “thing” isn’t for quacking, flying, riding or building. It’s a book, silly!
Themes/Issues: Books and Reading
Early Literacy Skill Value:
Print Motivation: Young readers will enjoy the humor and fun suggestions made about the purpose of a book.
Vocabulary: Encourages vocabulary learning illustrative representation of objects and concepts.
Print Awareness: Simple, straightforward questions and answers in clear, boldface text.
Narrative Skills: Narrative skills encouraged through use of illustrations clearly representing the story line.
Phonological Awareness: N/A
Letter Knowledge: N/A
Author/illustrator website: http://www.lanesmithbooks.com
By Lane Smith
Bibliographic citation:
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, ©2011
24 pages
ISBN 978-1-596-43758-6
Age recommendation: 1-4
Format: Children’s Board Book
Awards/Selection lists: New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award for It’s a Book.
Annotation: As a baby gorilla sits reading quietly, a baby donkey pesters him about the source of his absorption.
Review: From the creator of It’s a Book, Lane Smith gives us a board book version and it’s chock full of the same silly questions by Donkey but this time he’s in diapers. He asks, “Is it for chewing? Is it for wearing? Is it for emailing?” Gorilla repeatedly answers “No. It’s for reading.”
Lane Smith serves up stylish illustrations, as stylish as a gorilla and donkey in diapers can be. Thick charcoal lines, a sophisticated and appealing palette, the illustrations are simple and don’t change much from page to page except for Donkey trying to figure out why this “thing” isn’t for quacking, flying, riding or building. It’s a book, silly!
Themes/Issues: Books and Reading
Early Literacy Skill Value:
Print Motivation: Young readers will enjoy the humor and fun suggestions made about the purpose of a book.
Vocabulary: Encourages vocabulary learning illustrative representation of objects and concepts.
Print Awareness: Simple, straightforward questions and answers in clear, boldface text.
Narrative Skills: Narrative skills encouraged through use of illustrations clearly representing the story line.
Phonological Awareness: N/A
Letter Knowledge: N/A
Author/illustrator website: http://www.lanesmithbooks.com