Show Me Happy

February 23, 2015
Candid photographs of children—both alone and accompanied by parents, friends, and siblings—and short, demonstrative phrases highlight a range of behaviors and activities in this book from the team behind A Kiss Means I Love You (2012). “Show me holding,” writes Allen as a girl cradles a baby (presumably a new sibling) and kisses its forehead. Images representing “Show me hiding” and “show me found” feature two different children playing peekaboo on opposing pages. The large photographs clearly communicate concepts like up and down, and actions like “pushing” and pulling, creating many opportunities for adult-child discussions while reading. Ages 2–4.

February 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 1-A new offering from the creators of A Kiss Means I Love You (Albert Whitman, 2012) that is as charming as its predecessor. The large, attractive photographs of children are teamed with simple text to depict actions and emotions. Each page features the same textual formula "Show me...." One photograph features a girl interacting with a toy lawn mower for "Show me pushing," which is followed by "Show me pulling" and a photograph of a different girl pulling a younger boy in a bright wagon. The work displays opposites, emotions, and everyday activities with which young children will relate and identify. The text and images are clear and uncluttered. Young readers may feel inspired to act along with the pictures. VERDICT A fine addition to most picture book collections.-Laura Hunter, Mount Laurel Library, NJ

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2014
Rhyming text in large print accompanies colorful photographs of children of different ethnic backgrounds, all engaged in the enjoyment of life.The youngest children will enjoy looking at the photographs and identifying with such phrases as "Show me happy, / show me helping, // show me up, / show me down." (The "up" and "down" photos capture children playing on playground equipment.) The pleasantries of a largely suburban lifestyle involve, in addition to playground fun, a plastic "lawnmower" and wagon, Lego construction, reading books, counting with fingers, and interacting lovingly with adults, pets and other children. Care was obviously taken to include a diversity of ages, genders and skin colors in the models. The text's simple rhythms will allow little ones to "read along" with the book after the first few run-throughs. A number of the activities encourage children to immediately mimic what they see in the illustrations, as in the finger-counting, the peekaboo pages and the "Show me little, / show me BIG" photographs. A sweetness in the images and the text elevates the book from sheer simplicity to usefulness in providing behavioral role models. The use of near-rhymes is a welcome relief from texts that sacrifice meaning for exact rhyme. There is nothing wrong with coupling "down" with "found" and "ten" with "friends." A nice addition to the bookshelves of day care centers, preschools and families with young children. (Picture book. 1-4)

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May 1, 2015
Preschool-K Pushing, pulling, little, big. Going up and coming down. Big, friendly, candid photos of real kids and their families in familiar settings illustrate elementary concepts of body language, emotion, communication, and comparison in this winsome picture book. The gentle, swaying rhythm of the text makes it fun to read aloud, with clever, unforced rhymes that won't trip the tongue. Most preschoolers will find at least one child among the many diverse faces in the book with whom they can personally identify, as well as many who might resemble friends and classmates. A boy kisses his daddy on the cheek, two brothers play with LEGO blocks, and even the dog gets a hug before we are through with this affectionate demonstration of things people can do or emotions they can feel. While this is good for teaching social and communication skills, it would be equally great at storytime. Pair this with other photographic explorations of universal feelings and experiences, such as Barbara Kerley's You and Me Together (2005) or One World, One Day (2009).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2016
Clear color photographs of a diverse group of young children illustrate this simple rhyme. Each attractive close-up picture demonstrates the meaning of an individual word or phrase; listeners may well want to join in. "Show me happy, / show me helping, / show me up, / show me down. / Show me holding, / show me giving, / show me hiding, / show me found."

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)