¿Por qué? (Why?)

By staff -- Críticas, 10/1/2007

PreS-Gr 2-In the vein of Kipling’s Just So Stories,questions about the peculiar traits of animals are answered with responses that range from the hilariously clever to the downright poetic. With each spread devoted to a single animal, the story asks: “Why do giraffes have such long necks?” or “Why do whales spout water?” It could be because the giraffes swallowed uncooked noodles, or that whales spout in order to wash the clouds. In each case, a star symbol indicates the factual answer, which is written in a concise, graspable nugget, plus additional fun facts about the creature. In line with the light tone of the text, the stylized illustrations depict chunky, friendly animals with bold outlines and grainy, saturated earth tones. Active engagement with the reading is encouraged, as a charming foreword addressed to “My dear curious friends” proposes that if readers do not like the explanations put forth, they should certainly invent their own. Recommended for public and elementary school libraries, as well as bookstores.—Críticas