How to Be

PreSchool-Grade 3–A girl and a younger boy take turns imitating different animals, including a bear, a snake, and a dog. Each of the brief chapters is introduced by a title page with an illustration of a common object (a basket, a pull toy, etc.) decorated with a picture of or shaped like the creature in question and used throughout the vignette. For example, How to be a TURTLE opens with a sand pail with a turtle painted on it. The monkey section shows a book with a monkey on the cover, followed by the boy swinging from a tree, eating with his toes, copying the girl (who is trying to read the volume), and displaying curiosity. The final chapter, How to be a PERSON, shows both children embodying all the positive characteristics of the critters with the animals shadowing their actions. The last line reminds readers, Be yourself. The spare text matches the black-and-white drawings, supplemented with well-placed smatterings of bright paint. While the simplicity of the language and the artwork may appeal to toddlers, older preschoolers will appreciate the children's humorous antics. This striking picture book may also inspire school-age children to create their own versions of the story with different animals.–Rachel G. Payne, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
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