Presto Change-o!: A Book of Animal Magic

PreS-Gr 1—This large board book indulges the imagination by using simple shapes and reader manipulation to transform each illustration into something else entirely-a hot-air balloon becomes a rabbit, and a rocket turns into a penguin. Emerging readers can enjoy the book without hearing the accompanying text and simply look for the pictures or bolded words to make the changes. The most visually engaging of these is a pot that turns into a raccoon, as it offers slightly more color and shape variation than the other transformations. The bold, graphic style of the illustrations works well to help readers focus on the task at hand while also bringing a decidedly minimalistic ascetic to the text when paired together. There does seem to be something lost in translation in the text. There is some surprisingly difficult vocabulary for a book that is sure to be promoted to the youngest of readers (or nonreaders). Consider purchasing this title as a supplemental material for its promotion of motor skills and shape recognition.—Beth Dobson, Weatherly Heights Elementary School, Huntsville, AL