Balancing Act
PreS-K–This deceptively simple and creative book is loaded with fun. Two adorable mice create a teeter-totter using a stick balanced on a rock. A salamander joins one side, creating an imbalance, but then another one of equal weight joins the other mouse, and all is in order–until it happens again with a frog and a bird. Readers might be fooled into thinking that this is just a concept book, but Walsh gives them so much more, including a twist in the ending. Observant children will want to converse about animal and color identification, as well as why the actions and reactions of the animals are creating balances/imbalances on the teeter-totter. The delightful illustrations were done using cut-paper collage and then splattered with acrylic paints. A rock at the middle of the teeter-totter is cleverly placed in the gutter, creating eye-catching spreads with lots of white space and spare text. This book is full of wonder and can be used at storytime or one-on-one.Anne Beier, Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Montrose, NY© Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.