Hide & Seek [Hardcover]

Janet S. Wong (Author), Margaret Chodos-Irvine (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

It's a hide-and-seek day! Where's the best hiding place? Here? Or here? Or maybe here! Better find one lickety-split (. . . one . . . two . . . ) because Daddy is counting (. . . three . . . four . . . ) while cookies are baking ( . . . five . . . six . . . ). Is this the spot? ( . . . seven . . . eight . . . ) Ready . . . or not!

Introduces simple counting skills.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K–While Dad's cookies bake, he and his son play a game of hide-and-seek. He counts from 1 to 10 as the boy and his dog look for a good place to hide–perhaps under the sink, or behind a tree, or in a box. "Hide-and-seek means/squeeze yourself small,/roll yourself tight/into a ball…." They finally settle under the covers on the big bed, and Dad begins to hunt for them. The game ends when the oven bell rings and the treats are ready to eat. The book is attractively designed, and children will enjoy finding something to count on each page or spread as they anticipate "Ready or not, here I come!" However, locating a few of the objects may require some adult assistance. Chodos-Irvine uses a variety of printmaking techniques in warm and contrasting colors. The bright, colorful shapes are large and interesting enough to capture attention. Suitable for storytimes or one-on-one listening, this title will find a niche in counting-book collections.–Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Hillsboro, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS. "Cookie time is the perfect time for hide-and-seek. Dad, don't peek!" After a father slides a pan of chocolate-chip cookies into the oven, he counts to 10 while his young son (and the family dog) find the perfect hiding place. Wong describes the search for a spot, from a bush to an empty box, in poems that match each number: "Five / No, / not the trash can-- / you want to stink? / Six / It might be okay / to hide / under the sink." By the number 10, the oven bell has rung, and boy and dog are "ready to be found," just in time for hot cookies. The rhythmic words capture the breathless excitement of searching and hiding, and Chodos-Irvine's prints, in her signature style of simple, dynamic shapes and bright, saturated hues, match the vibrant energy and elemental sounds in the simple words. Another strong title from the creators of Buzz (2000) and Apple Pie, Fourth of July (2002), a booklist Editor's Choice selection. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152049347
• ISBN-13: 978-0152049348
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,791,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Janet S. Wong (www.janetwong.com) is an award-winning author of 23 books for young readers and teens. One of the most distinctive things about her body of work is its variety: from picture books about family (THE TRIP BACK HOME, BUZZ) to poetry books about yoga and driving (TWIST and BEHIND THE WHEEL) to chapter books about friendship (ME AND ROLLY MALOO, MINN AND JAKE) to a "Meet the Author" book about writing (BEFORE IT WRIGGLES AWAY). Her fans span the entire age range, from toddler to adult.

Janet Wong's latest projects are eBooks designed specifically for the Kindle. Janet is particularly excited about eBooks because of their affordability and also because they make poetry easy to find. "Poetry is buried in the 811 section of the library," Janet says, "where you're not likely to stumble on it. But you can type 'poetry' into your Kindle and dozens of titles (with free samples, even) will magically appear." Her first eBook is ONCE UPON A TIGER: New Beginnings for Endangered Animals, which features illustrated poems and nonfiction notes about familiar animals such as the tiger and also unusual creatures such as the axolotl. Her second eBook is a group effort, a forthcoming anthology called POETRY TAG TIME (to be available in April 2011) which she compiled with children's literature professor Sylvia Vardell. It features a connected chain of 30 poems by 30 of the best poets in the world.

When Janet Wong is not writing, speaking at teacher conferences, or sharing writing tips with children in schools, she spends most of her time trying to grow blueberries at her home in Princeton, NJ.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wong is great!, October 3, 2005

By 

blbooks "Becky" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hide & Seek (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Janet Wong since GRUMP. Since reading Grump, I have read several of her other picture books in addition to her poetry books. HIDE & SEEK is a great book whether you're looking for a counting concept book, or a fun story book to read aloud.

You might say that this book had me from the very first line...."Cookie time is the perfect time..." in this case, cookie time is the perfect time for a father-son team to play hide-and-seek with the family dog, of course. As the father counts and the son and his dog hide around the house and in the yard, Wong treats us to some wonderful word-pictures as she describes this timeless childhood game. "Hide-and-seek means/ find a fat tree,/ stand behind it/ tall and thin,/ don't scratch,/ don't sneeze--/ hide/ and freeze." As the boy and dog continue to hide, changing locations often since the dog can't keep quiet or still...the fun continues as we count to ten. When the Dad's through counting, the game continues as the boy decides that the perfect time to be "found" is just after the ding of the oven bell has gone off signaling snack time!

Hide & Seek is a great book. Both the author, Janet Wong, and the illustrator, Margaret Chodos-Irvine, have done a good job in capturing some of the joys of childhood.

3.0 out of 5 stars Not her best, March 30, 2006

By 

Maryland reader (maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hide & Seek (Hardcover)

This seems weak effort from this author. The art is fine--the text is awkward and pointless, "No, not the trash can-you want to stink? It might be okay to hide under the sink." Not really a counting book either.