All kinds of things Todo tipo de cosas

Toddler-PreS--What do race cars and ostriches have in common? How about flowers, umbrellas, and tin cans? In this bilingual picture book, Gervais creates a colorful reference text in English and Spanish that offers young readers new ways to investigate objects and phenomena by posing imaginative questions about their similarities. Consider, for example, that yellowjackets, safety pins, and forks can all prick, or sting (pican), while pliers, clothespins, and crabs or lobsters pinch (pinzan). Learners will enjoy how some words are spelled similarly across languages, like kangaroo (canguro) or carp (carpe), if not exactly, as with perfume (to later discover that perfume is stressed differently). Compound words are also featured (as with rainbow/arcoiris) to exemplify how language, in general, uses literal and figurative terms to make meaning. This work will engage and entertain readers who can link different things easily through simple observations of their natural states or uses. Photos accompany each word pair across all categories, prompting children to ask more questions when exploring their own surroundings and make more personal, illuminating connections on their own. VERDICT A great choice for early childhood shelves.--Sharon Sherman

What does a slice of cheese have in common with a suede shoe? Or a fork with a hedgehog? These inquisitive strands of commonalities form the basis for Gervais' eclectic bilingual word book, a hodgepodge of animals, vehicles, everyday items, and natural phenomena. Each spread opens to a catalog of things--faithfully rendered via stencils and brushes against mostly solid color backgrounds--collected around a declarative statement in all caps. "THINGS THAT SMELL GOOD" boasts a scrumptious apple cake, a lush rose, and a bar of soap. "THINGS THAT ARE FAST" presents a rocket in flight, a rather proud-looking ostrich, and an almost toylike race car. Groupings and page arrangements vary from spread to spread, as does sizing for each featured item, labeled by name in both English and Spanish. Flashes of playful, cheeky humor emerge in unexpected ways. Gervais juxtaposes morsels of popcorn with a formidable kangaroo under "THINGS THAT JUMP," and on the spread labeled "THINGS THAT ARE STICKY," she includes a jar of jam along with a toilet plunger. A few interludes, with an entire page devoted to just one thing, allow readers to draw unexpected connections between the mundane and everyday wonders. Under "THINGS THAT ARE…EXTRAORDINARY," for instance, Gervais lists a rainbow, followed by a colander on the next page. Little ones who appreciate a more ruminative pace will find much to muse on here. A curiously offbeat treat.(Picture book. 2-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.