What Am I?: Looking Through Shapes at Apples and Grapes [Library Binding]

N. N. Charles (Author), Leo Dillon (Author), Diane Dillon (Author)

Book Description

A concept book for young readers presents an interactive introduction to colors and shapes with boldly colored die-cuts of shapes through which familiar fruits can be seen, and includes rhyming clues that help identify the fruits.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Colors, shapes and types of fruit share the agenda of this visually arresting volume, a riddle book with a social conscience. Facing a page displaying shades of a particular hue is a puzzle, e.g., "I'm red, I'm round,/ I fall to the ground. What am I?" Above the verse, a die-cut square (it is labeled) previews a mysterious red field that, with the turn of the page, is revealed as part of an an apple. The geometric die-cuts vary with each fruit, as do the colors. An ingenious, surprising detour ventures into deeper waters: "In nature, there will always be/ a rainbow in the things you see./ In places here, and foreign lands,/ the rainbow can be seen in hands/ that make the world a better place-/ a rainbow of the human race." Pseudonymous author Charles's rhymes flow with easy grace, and the Dillons (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) illustrate with large-screen, Technicolor hyperrealism, gorgeous in its own right and supportive of the full curriculum at hand. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 2-5. This rhyming picture book invites children to guess what is described in a riddling rhyme and shown through a geometrically shaped hole in the right-hand page. On the left side of the spread a series of concentric squares appears, for instance, a small dark red one in the center bordered by ever larger and lighter ones to the edge of the page. The facing page, white with a cut out square window showing only a bit of textured red hidden on the next page, has the words "I'm red, I'm round, I fall to the ground. What am I?" Turn the page to see a large, horizontal spread of apple boughs heavy with fruit and one big, beautiful red apple. The riddle's answer might be guessed from the verbal or visual clue, but it has nothing to do with the squares that figure so prominently in the design. This multiple-concept book would be stronger if it did not try to do so much, from the guessing game to the colors lesson to the fruits lesson to the shapes lesson to the final lesson "In places here, and foreign lands, / the rainbow can be seen in hands / that make the world a better place /--a rainbow of the human race." Still, the paintings of shapes and fruits are huge, handsome, and appealing in their simplicity. Nursery-school teachers looking for concept books will find a number of uses for this one. Carolyn Phelan

Product Details

• Library Binding: 40 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Trade (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590478915
• ISBN-13: 978-0590478915
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #456,456 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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Am I? Looking through shapes at apples and grapes., September 3, 2002

By 

C.J. - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Am I?: Looking Through Shapes at Apples and Grapes (Library Binding)

This book is colourful and interactive. It allows an educator to tailor the book to it's audience of toddlers to school age.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perennial Favorite, August 29, 2000

By 

Laocoon143 - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Am I?: Looking Through Shapes at Apples and Grapes (Library Binding)

My grandchildren, ages 4 and 18 months, never tire of thisbook! It holds their interest more than any other book they own. Although the recommended age is 4-8, at mcuh earlier ages they loved the vivid colors, shapes, and illustrations. The cut-out shapes fascinate them, whether for a game of peek-a-boo, or the action involved in flipping the page and seeing a different picture behind each cutout. As my 4-year-old learns to read, he now enjoys the book at a different level but just as much. The illustrations are beautiful and even hold my interest with repeated readings, something I can't say for other children's books. In instituting values, we also like the message of diversity, which the children perceive easily as they recognize and relate to the hands of people of different colors. If you're only buying one children's book as a gift, for the children's own library, or to keep for your granchild's visits, this is an absolute must for ages 1 to 8.

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read to a NEW class of students EVERY year!!!, December 30, 2010

By 

SF "SF" (Clarksville, AR USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What Am I?: Looking Through Shapes at Apples and Grapes (Library Binding)

Never miss a beat. I read this to my class at the beginning of each year. It helps students see that everyone is different and unique, yet everyone has something to give!