Review by Booklist Review
From sunup to bedtime, this gentle picture book follows a family through a summer day spent together. Along the way, the rhyming text zeros in on the family members' hands, which they use to help each other. The younger sister shows her baby brother how to pile up blocks, while the older sister helps with the laundry by matching socks. The mother pulls a splinter from her younger daughter's finger. The father hugs the older girl after she falls off her bike. The baby pets the family cat. Opening and closing the text is the same thematic line: Hands that do all they can do / are also saying I love you.' Rhymed couplets appear throughout the book, though the occasional shift between sections of longer lines and shorter ones offers a good change of pace. Varied in composition, Yoo's well-crafted linocut-and-pencil illustrations give the pages a fresh, distinctive look. Pleasingly childlike and deceptively simple, this picture book is a fine read-aloud choice for young children.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Shannon's sturdy verse pairs with Yoo's warm, reassuring mixed-media images of family life to create a soothing readaloud. "Hands that do all they can do/ are also saying `I love you,' " writes Shannon (A Very Witchy Spelling Bee), a stanza that repeats as he follows a family that lives by the beach and is preparing to celebrate a birthday-which gives Yoo (Here Is the Baby) a chance to draw hands doing all kinds of things. After the birthday cake is made, two daughters help frost it, and then it's time to eat. As the father sits at the table holding the family's baby, the older daughter holds out whipped cream for him to taste, and while the parents string up lights on the porch, the older daughter wraps a stuffed rabbit for her younger sister: "Make a gift./ Help you lift./ Fold a hat./ Pet the cat." Strong rhythms, simple words, and clear pictures make this the kind of picture book that might end up being memorized. Up to age 3. Author's agent: Mary Cummings, Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises. Illustrator's agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Rhyming couplets follow the activities of a loving family in this gentle book for toddlers. Beginning with the dawn of a new day, parents sweetly wake a child, a sibling helps pour a cup of milk, a parent's hands carefully guide baby's steps, a child entertains with a puppet, and many hands complete daily tasks. "Make a gift./Help you lift/Fold a hat./Pet the cat.." A party is prepared and celebrated with friends-"Play a song./Clap along." And the final steps to the day are completed-"Hands that hold a book to share./Hands that brush and braid your hair." A mix of block printing, pencil, and digital work, the lovely illustrations have a hand-drawn look, as each scene provides easily recognizable images for the youngest readers, ending with the most important words of the day, "Hands that do all they can do/are also saying, `I love you.'" VERDICT For a family read or simple identification of the day's activities, this charming book sends a loving message and will be a hit in most libraries.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Wipe a tear. / Hold you near. / Toss a ball. / Stop your fall." This sweet book is all about the love expressed by a family through everyday activities done with hands. The gentle rhythm, simple rhymes, and homey, colorful illustrations--a striking mix of linoleum block printing, pencil, and digital techniques (an artist's note is appended)--make this a great toddler read-aloud. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
