Paws, Claws, Hands, and Feet

One of my blogging friends, Kim Hutmacher, recently published her first children's book. Congratulations, Kim! I'm excited just to know a published author. Then she sent me a copy of her book and asked me to review it. Wow, do I feel important! So here I go on my first book review...

At first look, the book is beautiful. Sherry Rogers' illustrations are fun and bright with lots of details to discover and discuss. To get a preview, the publisher offers a peek inside.

Kim's sparse text (sometimes just a few words to a page) is really poetry as she takes us into the dream of a little boy and girl. "Dipping, dashing, iceberg splashing..." is all she says about the penguins as the two children laugh and clap from their bed, but those four words completely convey the setting, the movement, and the sound of penguins playing. I can just imagine Meg, Melissa, and Peter loving this book in the preschool and early elementary stage. They'd have it memorized and be dancing around (especially Meg) or acting it out with their stuffed animals.

And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the four pages of extended activities in the back, especially for older kids. Then there's the publisher's website. I couldn't believe it when I found thirty pages of cross-curricular activities based on Paws, Claws, Hands and Feet--everything from coloring pages to research projects. Sylvan Dell does this for all their books. Amazing.

Here's the Paws, Claws, Hands, and Feet page at Sylvan Dell for even more information and things to do based on this book.

I love your book, Kim. You add delight to a science topic. Thank you.