What a fantastically fun book I have to share today! I’ve been waiting for this one to come out. It finally arrived and I am smitten. A story about a brother and sister’s day, including a trip to the zoo. The best part? The whole book is composed of words that contain the letter pair “oo!” Come ooh and aah with me over this book, but mostly ooh as is most appropriate. Check out Look by Fiona Woodcock, 2018.
What is it about?
As I said in the intro, the story of this book is very simple: a day in the life of a brother and sister which includes their trip to the zoo. Decent plot, but the concept of the book knocks it out of the park. How cool is it to not only write the story in as few words as possible, most only being one word per page, but then those words all contain the “oo” situation?! (Disclaimer: there are two places I count non “oo” words, but they really work!)
One of the opening pages is that spread above with the eggs in a pan. This quite possibly is my favorite illustration of the whole book. I also love the gesture in the boots-putting-on one too. And so many more! I don’t really need to describe the plot more, so let’s get into my loves.
Why I picked it
My younger daughter loves pandas, so this spread basically made her week. And my older daughter is a new reader, confident and ecstatic to read anything. She loved this book. The words are easy for her to figure out (for the most part) and after the second reading, she was definitely following the concept. Who knew there are so many great, descriptive words that have the “oo” letters? And you can tell a story with them! I just love how the whole book is put together! The pages are so fun and the story moves quickly and keeps you guessing.
And those illustrations are just stunning. I could happily frame every single one to hang on the wall. They are clever, beautiful, and unique. The colophon says that Fiona hand-cut rubber stamps for the artwork and used stencils, BLO pens, and line work—all composed digitally— to achieve these amazing illustrations. This is a book that we will return to again and again. It is beautiful, clever, thought-provoking, and just plain fun!
Who will love this?
This is a book that works for anyone and everyone. All ages will take delight in it. I can see babies loving the bold colors and brilliant layout of each page, the pace and story are perfect for toddlers, pre- and finessing readers will be overjoyed to know how to read it all very quickly, and anyone else will be wooed by the art and the concept. This is a sure win for gift-giving.
Bonus Gift Pairings
So many ideas come to mind for great gift pairings with this one. Some fun or even silly sunglasses would be a great start! Tickets for a trip to a zoo would be spot on as well. And I might even include a simple little bottle of bubbles. I love the idea of the air being filled with round bubbles while we read about such a fun, double “oo” day!
See you tomorrow for the next book from this year in my 25 Days of Favorite New Picture Books countdown!
Three Books a Night 