|
________________
CM . . . .
Volume VI Number 19 . . . . May 26, 2000
Recommended.
Dave Jenkinson teachers courses in children's and YA literature at the Faculty of Education, the
University of Manitoba.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
Published by
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - May 26, 2000.
AUTHORS |
TITLES |
MEDIA REVIEWS |
PROFILES |
BACK ISSUES |
SEARCH |
CMARCHIVE |
HOME
|
When the book's board cover has a square cutout that lets you peek at what's inside, you quickly
get the idea that Imaginary Menagerie is not going to be a typical children's picture book, and
it's not! On each pair of facing pages, the left hand page bears the text, "If I had a..." and the right
hand page has the square cut through which you can see a portion of what appears to be an
animal. There are also picture clues, in the first case white mice, that may assist viewers in
guessing what's over the page. To confirm the guess, you turn the page, and, in the opening
instance, find a cat on the right hand page which, in turn, unfolds to reveal another cat with the
words, "We'd wear a hat, hat, hat...,"which complete the rhyme. The same pattern follows
involving, in turn, a spider, dog, snail, centipede and giraffe, and the viewer/listener is not only
invited to guess the creature's identity but also to complete the rhyme. Each animal or insect is
rendered in a cartoon fashion, and the background colours are bright, rich and engaging. The final
gatefold spread brings together all of the Imaginary Menagerie's "critters" as they "laugh and
laugh and laugh" with the giraffe. A fun way to engage preschoolers in prediction while enlarging
their vocabularies.