My hands

K-Gr 2--From French-Tunisian creator Néjib comes a simple and incredibly rich book about what hands do: "greet," "touch," "say goodbye," "ask to speak," and more. For building, destroying, walking the dog, scratching the cat, bending, weight-lifting--there is a wealth of motions, a world of services, a cavalcade of actions that would be impossible or at least difficult without hands. The drawings are deliberately spare, sometimes only showing hands, although there may also be smiling eyes and the curved dash that hints at a smile. The use of color on white pages is also spare; nevertheless, there is an array of skin colors represented, as well as facial features from quizzical to angry and beyond. It's fascinating that so much can be wrung out of so little, and yet children will want to attempt their own drawings of things their hands do for them. VERDICT Whether for art, science, or philosophy, this compelling book offers food for thought, and will launch discussions as well as drawing exercises among a wide range of readers.--Kimberly Olson Fakih

An exploration of how we use our hands for basic things and endless creativity. Full-page, large, thick, black-outlined cartoon drawings rendered in a minimalist style against a stark white space emphasize a one- or two-word description of an action that can be taken using one's hands. Greet is accompanied by an image of a handshake and touch, with a depiction of two hands (one brown, the other the white of the page) pressed palm to palm. Though hands are the focus, some images depict faces or whole people. Sometimes, splashes of color are used to highlight a particular example. To illustrate how hands can shape or flatten, colorful balls appear, with a hand rolling them; another image shows a hand pushing the balls down. Many of the descriptions offset one another as opposites. Build has hands stacking toy blocks opposite destroy, with a fist punching the pile to topple it. Though this whimsical book, originally published in French, takes on a well-trod topic and is on the lengthy side, the many examples will speak to kids and may spark discussion about how our ability to use our hands allows us to be productive and enjoy life. Most characters or hands are the white of the page; some are depicted as brown. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An attractive take on an oft-addressed topic best perused over several sittings. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.