Quick Booktalk
Stuck inside on a rainy day, Anna and Kiki use their imaginations to think up some interesting situations and make them go away when they get out of hand.
About the Illustrations
Each two-page spread in this book has a flap that, when turned, changes the scene to add a new imagined element to the girls' play. Each flap changes only the center portion of the illustration so that it feels like we are moving from one moment to the next right along with the characters. The pictures remind me a bit of some of Susie Poole's work, but with somewhat thicker lines and larger figures. The way that the visual chaos increases with each "think-up" really contributes to the humor of the story, and to the girls' feelings of increasing bewilderment.
Story Time Possibilities
Books with flaps can be hit or miss for story time, but because the flaps here are just shortened pages, they should be perfectly manageable. The turn of each flap adds an element of anticipation and surprise to the reading experience that is ideal for a read-aloud. The text is also a decent length and has some good dialogue that keeps the story moving. This book would work for story times about rainy days, imagination, play, and friendship.
Readers Advisory
This is a book definitely most appropriate for preschoolers. It has all the zany happenings of something like The Cat in the Hat or Jumanji, but without any danger or fear, since the characters are always in control of the situation and can stop it at any time. For kids whose imaginations have ever run away with them, Anna and Kiki will be instant kindred spirits.
Disclosure
I received a finished copy of The Think-Ups from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.