Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Animal lovers and picture book sleuths will find much to enjoy in this follow-up to The Odd One Out (Candlewick, 2014). Each spread features a different group of animals, from chameleons to yaks to beetles, and encourages readers to find the matching pair among a variety of sizes, colors, and body positions. Some pages provide a real challenge, requiring close inspection and making this the perfect step up from simpler spotting books. Vibrant, folksy mixed-media illustrations in a rainbow of colors make the depicted animals at once realistic and appealing without becoming garish, while charming details like bears wearing scarves add a touch of whimsy. Rhyming text flows beautifully and never feels forced, using a wide vocabulary to continually encourage pair detection: "although all their patterns/ are similar types,/which two are sporting/identical stripes?" As an added bonus, several pages include the proper name for the animal's group-a sloth of bears, a romp of otters. VERDICT Beautiful illustrations and charming rhymes combine in a spotting book that's perfect for one-on-one sharing.-Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, La Crosse Public Library, WI © Copyright 2014. 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
Double-page spreads contain similarly patterned animals in Teckentrup's mesmerizing mixed-media art, while the text asks viewers to find the matching pair of animals in each group. In this companion to The Odd One Out: A Spotting Book, the awkward rhymes don't always make it clear exactly what to look for, and some puzzles are much trickier than others, but overall the book is engrossing. (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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In another in a series of picture books for the very young designed to exercise their powers of observation, Teckentrup challenges readers to spot which animals are exactly alike. As in The Odd One Out (2014), a variety of animals is depicted, from the mundane dogs, cats, birds and fish through chameleons, yaks, dragonflies, zebras, otters and toucans. The colored pages resemble decorative wallpapers, on which rows of mostly cheery, collaged animals are arranged in repeating rows on the right page of each spread. An introductory verse containing the pairing challenge is (usually) on the left page. Although they are necessarily repetitive, the animals are amusing and full of character, with bright but controlled color and a variety of textures adding to the visual appeal. The final spread contains pairs of all the animals to which readers have been introduced, but only five of them match exactly. The warm color palette and handmade appearance of this traditional pairing book are a refreshing break from the harsh colors and mechanical appearance of similar offerings in this genre. Children will enjoy sharing the sometimes quite difficult challenges with their adults. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
