Move! [Hardcover]

Robin Page (Author), Steve Jenkins (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 24, 2006 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 450L (What's this?)

Animals move! Follow them as they swing, dance, float, leap, and slide from page to page, then learn why these animals move the way they do.

Move! is a playful introduction to motion in the animal kingdom that invites young readers to guess some of the unusual ways that animals get around.

Action is the name of the game, so Move!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2–In this eye-popping book illustrated with cut- and torn-paper collages, animals leap, swim, slide, swing, and waddle. Each spread contains one action word and two animals for whom that behavior is typical. One of the animals turns up again on the next page alongside a different creature, both of them representing another kind of motion. For example, on one side a crocodile slithers into the water opposite a snake slithering through leaves; with the turn, the snake climbs a tree and a praying mantis climbs a blade of grass. The information will pique readers' interest. Jenkins uses brief phrases as captions and provides a well-written, concise appendix. A sharp-headed, blue-eyed bird hovers over the caption, A roadrunner flies, but not too far…. On the next page, the bird, clasping a lizard in its beak, sprints away to the words, …it would rather run to catch its prey. The end matter explains where the roadrunner lives, what it eats, how large it is, and why it is more suited to running than flying. This book is gorgeous and educational.–Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. In this lively collaboration by spouses Jenkins and Page, a host of animal movements are sure to leave children wanting to imitate the animals' swinging, waddling, and jumping actions. Jenkins' signature paper collages, boldly set against white backgrounds, illustrate each of two actions per animal; these are preceded and followed by parallel movements performed by different animals. "A jacana [a waterbird] walks on floating lily pads . . . " reads a right-hand page. The page turn completes the sentence: "then dives to catch a fish." The blue whale pictured alongside dives, too, but the next page reveals that it also swims, just like the adjacent armadillo. The running text arcs around the images, often mimicking the featured movement, which also appears in large, boldface type on each spread. The text ends with an invitation--"Move!"--accompanied by a picture of bare human feet. Further information about each animal concludes, indicating sizes for readers who may find the pictures' inaccurate scale confusing. Use this as part of a storytime-with-movement, perhaps alongside Karen Pandell's Animal Action ABC (1996). GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; None edition (April 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061864637X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618646371
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 0.4 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Move it or lose it June 8, 2006

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

I review a lot of children's books, but people like Steve Jenkins and Robin Page sometimes make me question the necessity of it all. Is there any point to reviewing the newest Jenkins/Page title ... ever? I mean, let's examine the facts here. These guys get better and more creative with every passing book. Now Jenkins does fine and dandy on his own, true, but Page has the narrative oomph to turn any title from "beautifully illustrated but not much going on" to "beautifully illustrated and written with an intelligent hand". Take into account the wonderful animal facts alongside the cut-paper pictures that make Eric Carle look like a slacker (he's not, people, I'm just making a point) and what you have is book after book after book of utterly unique wildlife picture books. So why even review them? Well, there's always the off-chance that somebody somewhere has never even heard, "What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?" and others of its ilk. With that in mind, it only makes sense to turn the spotlight again and again and again to the picture book world's resident geniuses.

Says the book, "Animals move in different ways". The first thing you see, you really see, when you open up this book is a furry brown gibbon in mid-swing. The big word "swing" is in clear black letters on a white background alongside the sentence, "A gibbon swings through jungle trees . . .". Turn the page and now the word of the two-page spread is "walk". On the left-hand page is our gibbon friend, only now he's carefully choosing his steps to the sentence, ". . . or walks on two back legs". On the right-hand page is another animal walking. It's a jacana walking on some floating lily pads. Now turn the page and the word is "dive". You get the idea.... Each animal in this book gets two action verbs to act out in some manner. A run might turn into a dance or a slide into a waddle. The end the book shows a single pair of human feet alongside the question, "Animals move in different ways ... how about you?". The answer? MOVE!

What author Robin Page has done and done well is pair entirely different kinds of animals and insects alongside one another using a verb that can describe both. You wouldn't initially think that a polar bear and a jumping spider have much in common. But hold the word "float" up to both and you can see how they inhabit the term in entirely different ways. The book follows a logical progression, ending with two pages at the back that give factual information about the critters we've already seen. Did your kid know that the African jacana's toes keep it afloat on the lily pads it uses as stepping stones? They will now.

With Page's words to guide him, Jenkins gives as much oomph and surprise action as he can to his illustrations without going so far as to make them three-dimensional. So if the word is "leap", you can bet your bottom dollar that both the armadillo and crocodile are going to be giving you your money's worth on that verb. Plus there's Jenkins's attention to detail. That crocodile, for example, isn't just bursting out of the water (note the copious splashing action going on through dots of paper alone). There's the reflective gleam in the croc's eye. The grey-green paper, just wrinkly enough to suggest the texture of crocodile skin. And though I have no proof of this, I think it's safe to say that Jenkins probably researched how many teeth crocs have and gave his the required amount. Just a guess, but this is the kind of book to give you faith in the matter. There's not a single bird or beastie here that seems simplistic or out-of-place. Look at the cover, for crying out loud. How does a guy who works entirely in the medium of cut-paper make a bunny look furry? How? Answer me that.

Whenever I review a book by the Jenkins & Page team I end up sounded like their cheering section. It's not an entirely unpleasant sensation either. Just as long as the two of them keep churning out books as remarkable, both visually and in the written form, as "Move!", I'll be content to keep giving them kudos after kudos. A truly beautiful beast. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A cute book for children August 19, 2010

By JKH

Format:Board book|Amazon Verified Purchase

Our daughter (15 months old) really likes this book. It has some fun pictures of various animals and is easy to show to her.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Learn to move! February 22, 2009

By A. Tarmy

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is wonderful for learning how each animal moves. We move like the animal to have more fun. Great for learning about how your body can move and how each animal can move.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars My kid has yet to be "moved" by this book. July 11, 2007

By P. White

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My kid is almost 3 and I thought he'd really like this book. Though the writing is really simple, it is a cute concept. Just probably better suited for a younger child.

4.0 out of 5 stars Satisfied June 29, 2012

By Bonnie

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

We received the book, it was bent, the seller offered to
make it good, but we tried to straighten it with heavy books on top. It came out fine and so we are satisfied with our purchase.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars What age is this for? July 21, 2010

By BostonMama

Format:Board book

I would be interested in hearing whether those who loved this book have children, and if so, what age they are. My daughter is 13 months, and we have the large board book version, which she received as a gift. While she LOVES the movement aspect, which I help act out, to her delight, the animal names are just WAY too advanced for her. Why a gibbon instead of a monkey? Why an "arctic hare" instead of a RABBIT? Why an african jacana instead of, say, a bird? Children of board book age understand basic animal names are, and what those animals do, but they do not know the highly specific names in this book. I find myself reading this book to my daughter, but CHANGING all of the animal names to more common, generic animal titles so that she can understand it. Having read the reviews, I thought, "Well, maybe this is a case of a good hardcover book that should just NEVER be a board book, because it is for older children." But then I read a review below that the language is too simple for a 3 year old, which kind of makes sense. I think kids are more into stories at that age, no?

I agree with the reviews complimenting the illustrations as interesting and unique. They are quite nice. And the movement/verb concept is absolutely fantastic. But it is so annoying to have to change every animal title for my daughter to enjoy the book. And she really only enjoys it when I read it to her, because I get really into it and we act out the movements. Grandma and Daddy tried reading it to her and it was a bomb. They don't get as into it, so neither she nor they enjoyed it. They both, separately, complained to me that the animal titles are too much and the book is boring for them. I think, with more simple titles and animals my daughter knows, this would be a great board book for toddlers.... Alternatively, with more meat, it would be a good hardcover book for older children. But it seems to me that it is dancing at the line between the two and can't completely please either. Read more ›