Review by Booklist Review
Like its predecessor Look (2018), Woodcock's latest picture book works through a simple, elegant format of words that contain and repeat the use of double letters in this case, the lowercase ls found in hello, yellow, and other words. Through a cute day-in-the-life story, a brother and sister (the same pair who appeared in Look) visit a seaside town, where words with double ls are in abundance: they explore an amusement park, riding a roller-coaster and exploring a hall of mirrors, among other pleasures. Then they are off to the beach to act silly, fill a bucket with seashells, take a chilly dive underwater, and cavort with a jellyfish. When evening comes, it's finally time to roast marshmallows and collapse into sleep following a lullaby. The look of the picture book primer repeats Woodcock's use of fuzzy colors, featuring predominantly blurry blues, soft reds, and bright yellows. The bold graphics flow with lines both straight as an arrow and rollicking as hills. The featured letter is inventively used as carousel poles featuring the word gallop, and straws doubling up and illustrating the ls in spill when wallop dallop big sister drops the twosome's drinks. A fun book for all to fall for! Highly recommended.--Karen Cruze Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Fans of the author's Look will rejoice in this celebration of words with double L's. From a sunrise "hello" to "pillow" at night, a cherry-cheeked girl and boy travel valley and hilltop to a brilliant fair where they collide on bumper cars and gallop on carousel steeds. Next, at the beach, it's chilly but they get silly in the water and meet a jellyfish. The clever creation of a rounded tale centered on this category of word is made even more impressive with the misty drawings done with children's BLO pens, hand-cut stencils, and printing techniques. Sometimes trees, legs, or umbrella poles create the double L's in the printed words. Woodcock's palette is like sherbet on a summer day. -VERDICT Rookie readers won't mind practicing on this seasonal jaunt.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA © Copyright 2019. 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
In Look (rev. 7/18), Woodcock strung together a series of words with double os, more or less one per page, to tell a story of a brother and sister visiting the zoo. In this companion, double ls get the same treatment, as the siblings spend the day at a seaside amusement park (BRILLIANT!). Bumper cars collide, carousel horses gallop, and, at days end, at their campsite, children collapse. All of the hand-crafted lettering is integrated into the illustrations, and Woodcock boosts the jaunty wordplay by incorporating many of the ls into the pictures themselves: the ls in the word spill are straws tumbling out of an overturned cup; those in marshmallow are toasting sticks held over a campfire. The bright, ebullient images, in reds, yellows, and blues, feature open composition with lots of movement, and the use of heavy, buff paper stock enhances their tactile, textured richness. Woodcocks careful attention to light establishes a morning-to-night story arc, though this is an outing that will be (repeatedly) enjoyed at any time of day. thom barthelmess (c) Copyright 2019. 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
The siblings of Look (2018) are back, this time delving into words with a double L.The sun greets sister and brother with a warm "hello" at their campground. Navigating "valley" and "hilltop," the family drives to a beach amusement park to "yell," "gallop," and "thrill." At "nightfall" they roast "marshmallow[s]" and then "collapse" onto a "pillow" after a full day. As in their debut, the sunglasses-clad sister and baseball-capped brother daytrip to (mostly) one word per page. The artwork, done with markers, rubber stamps, and digital compositing, showcases Woodcock's cheerful, primary color palette. Sometimes labored, her most effective work focuses on shapes and playful compositions rather than lighting. The "ll" in "gallop" are formed by the posts on carousel horses; the "ll" in "marshmallow" are two sticks holding the puffy confections aloft. "YELL," on the other hand, is depicted, one letter at a time, descending the articulated dips of a mammoth slide. The wit in "THRILL / SHRILL / (ILL)" resides in textual juxtaposition alone rather than the words' incorporation into the illustration of the "rollercoaster." An exemplary piece is the title page, on which the "ll" of the title are formed by the shadow cast by the indigo-haired girl standing in front of the sun. Deliciously colored end pages, patterned with the letter "L," highlight the design's appeal. Both kids have light skin.Woodcock captures the joy of a summer day's adventure in this diverting romp through a thematic concept. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
