Five for a Little One (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)) [Hardcover]

Chris Raschka (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)

If you are a bunny, try a taste, take a gander, snuffle a sniff, relish a sound, and share a hug.

Everything around is waiting.

If you are a boy, or a girl, or a dog, or a kitty do like our friend Bunny.

And enjoy.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–A buoyant bunny, drawn in thick ink outline with a fuzzy body and delightfully mismatched ears (one downy and one plain), introduces readers to the senses, numbering them one through five. The rhyming verses and ebullient artwork convey a child's curiosity and enthusiasm for investigating the world in various ways: e.g., hearing is described, Happy ears, pay attention!/Did we mention sounds surround you?/Catch the honking, barking, singing./All that ringing will astound you. After exploring all five means of perception, the youngster encounters mother and father rabbit (one drawn with thick ink outlines and the other with velvety splotches). As the family members interact, the bunny again demonstrates each of the senses–smelling a flower held by one of the adults or listening to the other play the violin. There is no text on these pages, encouraging children to identify each example by looking at the illustration, thus reinforcing the concepts. The book ends on an affectionate note, as the threesome holds hands: Five senses–just enough–to know the love we have for you. Featuring supple ink lines, tantalizingly textured potato prints, and splashes of cheerful watercolor, the artwork is irresistible. The clean page design and graceful flow of images keep the action moving quickly. A fresh, fun, and fanciful approach to an often-requested topic.–Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-K. Though it's hardly clear from the title, Raschka's latest, defiantly offbeat picture book deals with a core topic in early childhood curricula. In spare, stylized scenes paired with impressionistic quatrains, a flop-eared bunny demonstrates each of the five senses: "Lucky tongue, taste and try this berry pie. It's a blessing! Cabbage, spinach, bitter or sweet, a joy to eat with salad dressing." Then the bunny's parents appear, reinforcing the information in a curious, abrupt coda that delivers a tender message ("Five senses--just enough--to know that we love you") but undercuts the empowering aspects of independent exploration presented on the preceding pages. Much of the text reads like oddly translated fortune-cookie aphorisms, and the book's counting dimension ("Smell is 1," "Hearing is 2," and so on) is confusingly integrated. So why bother? Raschka's effervescent bunnies, combining calligraphic simplicity with the cuteness of Japanese cartoons, transcend the book's less well conceived elements, and the unusual presentation may well strike creative educators as a welcome change from drier variations on the same theme. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books (June 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689845995
• ISBN-13: 978-0689845994
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #544,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Executed, September 17, 2007

By 

Kelly Demarest "First Grade Teacher" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Five for a Little One (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

This beook is a beautiful and loving way to teach the five senses to small children. I love it for my daughter and also to use in my first grade classroom. Highly recommended!

4.0 out of 5 stars Little Book, January 29, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Five for a Little One (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

This book should have won the Caldecott because the first time I read it, I fell in love with the fantastic pictures!!! The book was very good for all ages because it was very easy to understand!! It will help all little kis learn how to count!

5.0 out of 5 stars love this book!, January 27, 2007

By 

A. Steward (FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Five for a Little One (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

When I first saw this book, I fell in love with the illustrations of that funny little rabbit. I knew it was geared toward pre-school, but I got it anyway as a read aloud for my first grade class before we start learning the 5 senses. They really loved it too! And it helped to introduce our unit about the 5 senses.