Quick! Turn the Page!
PreSchool-Grade 1-- To find out what happens when Eddie has nobody to play with, or how the mouse will get past the cat, readers are told to turn the page. In most cases, a problem or question is depicted on one page, and its solution or answer on the next; case closed, and on to the next scenario. This format, featuring a string of unrelated situations, presents obstacles: the book is choppy, with no continuity; there is the demeaning implication that big-deal problems ("Sarah is sick of winter") can be zapped instantly with a flick of the wrist; and the constant repetition of the page-turning gimmick is somewhat monotonous. Surely, young readers get immediate reinforcement for operating the pages, but their page-turning is mechanical rather than motivated by interest generated from involvement. Stevenson's fans will enjoy this new dose of his characteristic cleverness and his familiar watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations, but they're the only drawing card. --Liza Bliss, Worcester Public Library, MACopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.