I See and See

January 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-In this new entry in the "I Like to Read" series, a young boy looks closely at the world around him. A double-page close-up, accompanied by a simple sentence in large type, depicts each object the child sees. A huge side-view image of a bulldog fills the opening spread along with the sentence "I see a dog." Large illustrations of different kinds of trucks and flowers, a man working in the trees, a bird, and even a carousel follow. Each time, the words I see appear. On the copyright pages preceding the text, the boy emerges from three pencil sketches into full Technicolor, as if to illustrate that really seeing brings in the world in a whole new way. Lewin's exquisite impressionistic illustrations, done in pencil, liquid mask, and his signature watercolors, revealing every doggy drool and claw, tire tread and truck part, flower petal, bird feather, and details on a butterfly's wings invite just such close scrutiny. Simple repetitive text and large detailed pictures make this a perfect choice for the very youngest readers and may encourage them to take artistic inspiration from the world they see as the young narrator does. Adults can extend the experience by helping little ones name the kinds of trucks, dog, bird, type of tools, etc. VERDICT For more close observation enjoyment, pair this beautiful offering with Lewin's Look! (Holiday House, 2014).-Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Greenwich, CT

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015
The latest entry in the I Like to Read series involves very little reading. With just eight words repeated again and again, one short sentence per spread, and only 24 pages, success is almost guaranteed for struggling readers. The word "see" appears 12 times and without competition from other words that start with "s." The picture-book trim size, as opposed to the standard early-reader format, is also nicely nonthreatening. The problem is that struggling readers are often smart enough to know that this isn't a real story. There is no plot. What the boy sees seems arbitrary and disconnected--a dog, three different trucks, flowers, an arborist ("a man" in a tree with a saw), a butterfly, a bird, a merry-go-round. There is no sense of neighborhood or place. Most reluctant new readers will know that the trucks are particular types--bulldozers, a cement truck, a street sweeper--but they are not challenged with this specific vocabulary. Lewin's charming pencil-and-watercolor illustrations and the winsome African-American boy who draws what he has seen at the end of the book rescue it from mediocrity. Teachers will want to point out that the drawings were made by the child who served as Lewin's model before assigning the inevitable task to "make a book about what you see." A useful instructional addition for beginning readers who need to experience success. (Picture book/early reader. 3-6)

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July 1, 2016
With each page turn, readers see what a boy observes outside. Brief, purposefully repetitive sentences pair with full-spread illustrations: "I see a bird," for example, accompanies a lifelike perched pigeon. There's no plot and little specificity (various vehicles are all "a truck"), but Lewin's sun-dappled, detail-rich art invites closer inspection, and the story's unexpected meta ending may spark conversations about artistic observation and inspiration.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)