Almost Everything [Hardcover]

Joelle Jolivet (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A skyscraper? An igloo? A high-speed train? A horse and cart? Encyclopedic and stylish, Almost Everything is full of things both familiar and unexpected, arranged in simple categories -- buildings, transportation, costumes, plants, animals, and much more. The wealth of detail and oversize design is matched by bold, dramatic block print art, in a book that will capture and hold young children's attention.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–Following the same format as Zoo-Ology (Roaring Brook, 2003), Jolivet has taken 13 diverse categories such as trees and flowers, the human body, tools, and historical costumes, and illustrated dozens of objects both unique and commonplace on spreads almost two feet high. There is no attempt to maintain relative size. The hedgehog is the same size as the snail, the squirrel is smaller than the butterfly, etc. Extinct animals mingle with those that are not, and colors are not always natural. While some objects are specifically labeled, many are given only their generic name, e.g., duck or frog as opposed to mallard duck or red-eyed tree frog. The glossary provides more information, but some of it is misleading. The entry under crab states that these animals live …between rocks on the seaside, a statement that is not true for the one pictured and the majority of others. The pages on the human body feature an anatomically correct male and female, as well as a silhouette of a child in utero. The linocut prints can be appreciated for their artistic quality and will be fun for browsers to pore over, but instructive possibilities are limited.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. In this follow-up to Zoo-ology (2003), French illustrator Jolivet offers another splendidly oversize collection of themed pictures. Once again, there is no story--only captions, categories, and a magnificent array of illustrations. Each spread represents a different category (trees and flowers, tools, historical costumes, and more), and small pictures fill the pages. The clean graphic contrasts of the boldly outlined colored images, which resemble linoleum cuts, will help children find individual pictures amid the chaotic compositions. Younger children may have questions about some of the more advanced concepts; a spread about the human body, for example, includes diagrams showing the muscular and circulatory systems, male and female sexual organs, and a silhouette of a pregnant female, a full-term baby curled inside. Final pages include long columns of facts and notes about featured pictures. Children will return again and again to the lovely, detailed pages, and teachers will find lots of uses for this, from storytelling exercises to vocabulary work. An excellent choice for interactive reading and sharing. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596430907
• ISBN-13: 978-1596430907
• Product Dimensions: 18 x 12.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Cool Book for kids getting into learning "EVERYTHING", December 13, 2006

By 

Bookworm130 (Stillwater, OK) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Almost Everything (Hardcover)

I bought this book because my son LOVES costumes and this includes four pages of historical costumes. I was quite surprised at what a cool book this is. I found it originally on a baby/kid boutique website, but knew Amazon would have it at a better price! I was right! It is 30+ pages of beautifully illustrated pictures of well, "almost everything" The one thing I was surprised they didn't mention in reviews is that the two pages of human body parts includes a full color illustration of a man and woman including not "almost everything" but everything. But, it is human anatomy, so I don't have a problem with it. I will definately be getting the zoo-ology book by Jolivet and will probably give it as a gift to somebody in the future. It's really cool! IT'S A HUGE BOOK TOO! Almost 20 inches tall and 1 foot wide.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent word book!, January 23, 2011

By 

K. Kasabian (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Almost Everything (Hardcover)

I am in love with this book. My son is in love with this book. It's oversized, a bit eclectic and jam-packed with images and accompanying words, featuring both ordinary and unusual objects with great attention to detail.

Each page is a theme - trees and plants, the human body, costumes, transportation. It's part history, part anatomy, part cultural reference, part botany and totally entrancing. There are so many objects on each page, it's easy to miss some objects in a single read. That's part of the fun, because it's fun to find new things in subsequent readings. Slightly older children can use it to associate uncommon words with accompanying images, which makes it a keeper on our bookshelf for years. Lovely book. Recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great illustrations, September 7, 2007

By 

Sharene D. Shealey "book reader" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Almost Everything (Hardcover)

The illustrations and subjects covered are wonderful. There are illustrations of a naked man and woman that are non-sexual, but they caused quite a stir with my 6 year old. I would only recommend for mature children.