Editorial Review

It's never too early to start kids reading. Even in infancy, young eyes can begin to make connections between images on a page and the real thing.Read more

Reviews (10)

Great Book For Infants
I believe the contrast of the black and white holds the infants gaze.I think it is agreat book and my toddler loves it still.

Wonderful book to give as a baby present
This is one of the few books that I ALWAYS send as a baby present.It's fantastic---the black and white illustrations are great for a newborn and many of my friends have continued to "read" the book with their child even when he or she became a toddler. Psychologist mom's ONLY shower gift
Before my first-born could speak or even SIT, all the adults around him could tell which page he liked most--true communication from an infant that didn't involve crying (or other intense and directed body language)! We were amazed that we all had noticed. The books got LOTS of attention from our wee one. Face it, there is just not a lot you CAN "read" to an infant those first six months of life. He loved them. I'm here buying my fifth or sixth set of these two books for yet another mom-to-be. They are so much more memorable than green and yellow clothing, for both parents and babes. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Preschool    3. Concepts - General    4. Hoban, Tana    5. Picture books for children    6. Preschool Picture Story Books    7. Vision    8. Visual perception    9. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General   

Editorial Review

Tana Hoban has created an elegant solution for those who want to initiate children into the infinite wonders of reading. This picture book compels parents to talk to their babies as they share the wordless pages with their little ones. Black illustrations on a white background provide high contrast for infants' underdeveloped eyes. Soothingly familiar, silhouetted shapes--a leaf, a key ring, a bib, an elephant--will be recognized by the very young, and through these simple pictures, aspiring readers will begin to identify the link between the objects they see and the words their caregivers say. Hoban, beloved author of many childhood favorites, including Read more

Reviews (15)

Start good reading habits with this book
Most adults will be utterly bored and unimpressed with this book.So, why would you want to buy this book?Because babies don't see the world like adults do.Newborns specifically prefer high contrast such as black and white and if introduced at the right time this book will captivate and stimulate your child.Sure, eventually your baby will out grow this book, but it's a great way to introduce reading to your newborn.Just sit with him/her and point at the pictures and either say the names of the objects or make up stories.At this point they just love to hear your voice.When he/she is a little older, just let your baby hold the book and flip through the pages.It's never to early to start reading with your child and this book is a great way to initiate your child into the world of books.

SO SO
I bought this one with the LOOK, LOOK book and found this one didn't appeal to us as well as the other.We still read/look at this one but love the other much better.

Brings the world into focus
I bought this book for my 4 day old baby.The contrasts grabbed his attention.Immediately afterward, something clicked - he had a new interest in trying to focus on other things in his world.He has no idea what a butterfly or pail is, nor do I try to make a story.I simply prop the book up and leave it on one page for several minutes while he examines it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Preschool    3. Concepts - Size & Shape    4. Hoban, Tana    5. Picture books for children    6. Preschool Picture Story Books    7. Vision    8. Visual perception    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / Concepts / General   

Reviews (1)

Fun!
This is such a fun book that teaches children to look around their world for objects and shapes. Another one my children love is 'What Is Round?' ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children: Preschool    3. Concepts - Size & Shape    4. Geometry    5. Juvenile literature    6. Pictorial works    7. Shape    8. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General    9. Picture books    10. Shapes & patterns    11. Size   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Babies & Toddlers    3. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    4. Juvenile literature    5. Photography, Artistic    6. Pictorial works    7. Surfaces (Technology)    8. Textures    9. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General   

Reviews (3)

Brilliant book for introducing reading to children!
Reading practice does not begin in kindergarten or first grade.Reading environmental print is a child's first exposure to letters, words, and pictures coming together to explain a concept and Hoban does it brilliantly. Wonderful for toddlers
We got this book for my first child when she was about a year and a half old, and it became an instant favorite.She loved being read the signs in this book over and over. Excellent pre-reader
I found this book was an excellent pre-reading excercise for mypreschooler.She just loves to see and recognize the signs as we aredriving.This also makes it a great book to bring along for car trips ofany length.I am buying a copy for her friend who loves all things car& truck.I know this will make a great gift for boys as well as girlsages 3+. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Education    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Preschool    4. Concepts - General    5. Juvenile literature    6. Signs and signboards    7. Street signs    8. Traffic signs and signals    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Mathematics    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Concepts - Size & Shape    5. Geometry    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Mathematics - General    9. Photography    10. Pictorial works    11. Shape    12. Juvenile Nonfiction / Photography    13. Life Skills & Personal Awareness, General Studies    14. Picture books    15. Shapes & patterns   

Reviews (1)

A good book for infants
Babies generally like two kinds of books: ones with photos of other babies and animals, and ones with solid black on white illustrations.Iexperienced my own frustrations in trying to get my infant daughterinterested in books with bright colorful illustrations, and she just didn'tperceive them as something worth looking at.But then I remembered what Ihad been told years before in a children's bookstore, and when I switchedto the two categories above, she got very excited.This is a sweet littlecollection of black animal shapes on white backgrounds, with no text atall.It's a good book for a few months, but as soon as your child getspast this stage, it quickly will get put in storage (until the next onecomes along, or for the next baby shower gift). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    3. Children: Babies & Toddlers    4. Concepts - General    5. Counting    6. Infancy    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Pictorial works    9. Visual perception    10. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General   

Reviews (1)

Adults - Enjoy this book, too.
Do you know what a butterfly, a hippo, a crab, an ostrich, or a pretzel looks like?Think again.The Look Book by Tana Hoban will challenge your knowledge.One page is a black sheet of paper with a hole in the middle of it.Look at the exposed picture through the hole.Fooled you, didn't it? A gray, white, and black band turned out to be a pigeon.This is a greatbook for teaching children logical thinking skills and encouraging originalthought.Recommended reading for ages 4-8, the book is fun for adults,too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Photography    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Preschool    4. Concepts - General    5. Juvenile literature    6. Nature photography    7. Photography    8. Specimens    9. Toy and movable books    10. Early learning / early learning concepts    11. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General   

Reviews (2)

great baby shower gift
This a book for little little babies who like sharp contrast and shapes.It is a sturdy board book.My 1 year old is board of it now, but it did interest her until about 6 moths of age.I wish there were more pictures, there are only 8 or so in the book.

My little one loves this one too
What else more is there to say? Black and White shapes, Babies LOVE them. My little one still enjoys this book and he is 9 months now. He picks this one and the Peter Linenthal book "Look, Look" before any of the other ones we have. Only thing I noticed with Hoban is the repeat of the duck shape in this book and another one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Babies & Toddlers    3. Concepts - General    4. Perception    5. Picture books for children    6. Visual perception    7. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General   

Reviews (1)

We Love Tana Hoban!
Tana Hoban's photographs are delightful and engaging for toddlers and adults alike! The bright, eye-candy photographs in this book are conversation provoking and each time you look at the book with your little one, you'll find new subjects to talk about! An excellent introduction to the concept of sizes as well as colors, shapes & moods! A favorite at our house, for sure! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Preschool    4. Concepts - Size & Shape    5. Juvenile literature    6. Size    7. Size and shape    8. Size perception    9. Geometry    10. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General    11. Physics   

Reviews (5)

babybookmama
I love Tana Hoban so when I found she did colored images I was very excited.The photos are nice, crisp and right on target with the colors.Simple color learning book.

Our household's all-time-favorite toddler book
We have six children, and this is/was the hands-down favorite of all our children as toddlers.We received it as a gift when our 13 yo was a baby, and now our toddler twins are enjoying it.I believe our children learned their color names from this book.They also like Hoban's "Black on White."I wouldn't hesitate to buy this for any under 2's you might have.

Not as Popular the Black/White Books at Our House
As my son grew older and more interested in colors, I looked for a book that would delight him as much as "Black on White" (also by Tana Hoban) had when he was an infant.I thought this book would fill thatdescription, but it didn't quite fit the bill.It has great photographs,but no text.Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Baby/Preschool    2. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    3. Children: Preschool    4. Color    5. Juvenile literature    6. Light    7. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General   

Reviews (2)

Interactive shape book kids love.
I read this book to a class of two and three year olds.They love to find the circles and squares.It lets them "read" the book themselves.The quality photography is a pleasure for all ages.There is no text, which makes the book more interactive because you talk about the pictures with the children instead.This lets them be more active participants.

A great book for toddlers!
Toddlers will love turning the pages and discovering circles and squares in an exciting format.My childrenare learning so much looking at this book again and again.Also get the Dr. Seuss's book about shapes and abook called 'What Is Round?' ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Preschool    4. Circle    5. Concepts - General    6. Geometry    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Mathematics - Geometry    10. Shape    11. Square    12. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General    13. Shapes & patterns    14. Size   

Reviews (1)

We Don't Get What All the Hoop-la is About
If Children had coffee tables, Tana Hoban's books would probably be on them.That said, my children and I don't get what all the hoop-la is about.Sure, the pictures have that artistic 'gritiness' that one often sees in galleries, but really, how many young children find that style appealing!?!
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    4. Juvenile literature    5. Pictorial works    6. Reflections    7. Shades and shadows    8. Shadows    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Technology / Experiments & Projects   

Reviews (2)

Wordless 'book' of interesting photos
I bought this as a gift for a precocious toddler who absolutely adores books.Her ideal day is spent wandering from book to book, preferably with you reading all of them out loud to her.
Exactly the Opposite Is Exactly Right!
Tana Hoban's Exactly the Opposite is a wonderful book to use with youngchildren who are learning the concept of "opposite". Thiswordless book allows readers to interpret the photographs as theyunderstand them.A photograph shows two hands - one is open and the otherclosed. Two photographs show children on steps - in one picture they aregoing up and in the other they are coming down. In another photograph thereare two shoes - one tied and one untied. Children can act out theseopposites by opening and closing their hands, undoing a shoelace and so on.The photographs are large, clear, colorful and attention-grabbers for youngchildren. Exactly the Opposite is exactly the right book to teach theconcept of opposites to young children! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Preschool    3. Concepts - General    4. English language    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Photography    8. Synonyms and antonyms    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / Photography    10. Opposites   

Reviews (1)

The answers are not always clear.
While the photos are characteristically good--colorful and bright, the answers are not evident on every page.There is a good idea behind this book but the presentation will frustrate many young readers.A sixthgrader at my library found it confusing.This is not one of Hoban's best. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Mathematics    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Preschool    4. Concepts - General    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Mathematics - General    8. Set theory    9. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General    10. Numbers & counting   

Reviews (3)

My toddler wants to read it again and again!
This is an excellent book for your toddler.It has been my 17-month-old's favorite book for 3 months in a row!He can't get enough of the construction vehicles.And, now, he and I both get excited when we see a "rubber-tired backhoe" out on the road!

Construction Zone Obsession
Construction Zone is the first "truck book" that I purchased for my son. I bought it for him when he was about 15 months. It is by far his favorite book.I need to purchase another one because the pages have been taped so many times.The only problem that I would have with the book is the quality of paper. It's not really sturdy for the age group that reads it.But I also should consider the HEAVY use that our copy receives.The photographs in it are perfect and it names each piece of equipment.It's a very basic book that shows all the basic construction equipment along with a garbage truck.I think it is a fine purchase.

Actual photographs of the construction stuff your kids love
My son loves trucks (he's 15 mos. old) and he loves this book. It is his favorite.Definitely buy it for your little truck lover too (whenever my son sees a bulldozer, he now says "bull" after reading this bookover and over!). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Baby - Boardbooks    2. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    3. Children: Babies & Toddlers    4. Concepts - Size & Shape    5. Construction equipment    6. Earthmoving machinery    7. General    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. Board books    11. Construction & heavy industry    12. Juvenile Fiction / General    13. Things that go   

Reviews (4)

Show children the world they know...
There is no better way to teach children than with concepts they can grasp.Hoban's photographs allow the concreteness of money and letters to be real and not just a picture on a page in a book. What a Fun Book
This book has excellent examples of both upper and lower case letters in bright, fun colors that really got my three year old interested in learning them. The use of coins to teach counting is great and as the photos are actual size, I'm certain in the future I will be using real coins as a companion to the book. This is a really attractive book that would make a great gift.

26 Letters and 99 cents
Tana Hoban is an author of many children's books.Shehas used photography as her way of illustrating her books.One half of this book is the teaching of the alphabet in very colorful pages and the other half of the book (which you need to turn over and upside down) is the teaching of coins and money.It is very colorful and eyecatching.The book is definitely a great teaching tool. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alphabet    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Preschool    4. Concepts - Alphabet    5. Concepts - Counting & Numbers    6. Counting    7. English language    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / Alphabet   

Reviews (1)

Great pictures of common signs
This book has great photographs of actual street signs.In most of the pictures, you'll see trees and building or streets in the background.Kids will know some of the signs and symbols and will learn some they might not know.Should anyone get stumped, there is a list of the signs with their meanings at the end of the book.This might be the basis of a fun game for kids in looking for signs near their home or on the way to school. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Preschool    3. Concepts - General    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Juvenile literature    6. Readers - Beginner    7. Signs and signboards    8. Signs and symbols    9. Traffic signs and signals    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Babies & Toddlers    3. Concepts - General    4. Concepts - Size & Shape    5. Concepts - Words    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Preschool Wordless Picture Books    8. Visual perception    9. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (6)

interesting photos
My 17 month old likes to focus on the interesting pictures in this book.He is are also learning to identify the colors when I point to the color circles, but right now, my son is most interesting in staring at the pictures.I was surprised to learn that the book has no story---but we get creative with making our own stories to match the pictures.Nice book.

That's right. All the colors of the rainbow.
Any book of color photographs runs a very great risk of being dated.Color photographs fade so easily, and styles change so quickly that this book could easily be shunted into the realm of forgotten children's literature.But take a look at it, even once, and your perceptions will change instantly.This book is about color.And its photographs fairly throb with life and vitality, the like of which you'll have great difficulty finding in any kids books published today. Wow - pictures of the city...
and they're luscious! This is the book that first awakened my daughter (at 19 months old) to speaking about color. But regardless of color concepts, I would have wanted to share these photographs, which make me love things like a broken umbrella in a trash can. It's art for toddlers: She was absorbed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Preschool    3. Color    4. Colors    5. Concepts - Colors    6. Juvenile literature    7. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General