Animals Work

August 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Simple text, one sentence per spread, identifies the animals and their tasks, while a full-spread illustration shows the animals at work in their environments. "Camels carry" depicts a row of camels standing with loads in an Egyptian desert underneath a washed-out blue sky. A dog herds sheep in a bright green field in New York, a reindeer pulls a sleigh in the deep snow of Norway, and an elephant in India lifts large pieces of wood. Humans fit into many of the scenes, but the animals are front and center, with the exception of the last entry of a young boy and his cat that reads, "And I care for my cat." The watercolor illustrations of the various locations and the people that inhabit them are stunningly lifelike, and a world map on the final spread shows where Lewin saw the animals. Easy enough for the very earliest readers.-Laura Hunter, Mount Laurel Library, NJ

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July 15, 2014
Mechanization is not in sight in this look at how animals still help humans at work and at play.Expansive double-page spreads present an international array of animals as they assist humans in a variety of jobs. The book's opening page portrays a dog herding sheep, and it continues with horses, camels, donkeys, reindeer, oxen, a goat and an elephant all carrying or pulling. Then a spirit of back and forth comes into play as "Sheep mow" and "Llamas keep sheep safe." Finally, a boy happily holds his cat in his arms and takes very good care of him. Some of the animals, such as the camels, the elephant and the reindeer, are portrayed in their native habitats with the humans who direct them. The goat pulls a cart with a bunny rabbit nestled securely inside, while the sheep and the llamas stand proudly on a carpet of green. Lewin masterfully combines realism with child appeal in his expressive watercolors. His short, declarative sentences with repeating verbs will encourage emerging readers. A map of the world at the end of the book highlights where this globe-trotting author/illustrator saw the animals; helpful indeed.Inviting. (Early reader. 2-6)

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September 1, 2014
Preschool-G Lewin's latest book for the I Like to Read series works equally well for beginning readers and younger children. Each double-page spread carries a few words and a large, luminous painting of one or more animals at work. Their tasks are identified in brief, closely connected sentences (one per page), such as, A donkey carries. / A donkey pulls. / A reindeer pulls. / Oxen pull. Pencil-and-watercolor artwork shows the animals in action. A refreshing change from the cartoonlike pictures in most books for beginning readers, Lewin's well-composed naturalistic illustrations have their own appeal for children. The final double-page spread carries a map of the world with numbers and a key indicating Where Ted Saw the Animals, including a horse in Nevada, a reindeer in Norway, oxen in India, sheep in New York, donkeys in Morocco and Ireland, and a camel in Egypt. This appended feature expands the book's usefulness as a springboard for discussion. A handsome animal book for young readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)