Moving Blocks

by Yusuke Yonezu

Overview

Winner of:
CCBC Choices 2016, Picture Books for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

What are you building? What can it be?
 
 
An irresistible guessing game, this book asks simple questions for identifying objects that move. The vivid pictures in the book can be reinforced through play with building blocks, allowing young imaginations grow.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789888240708
Publisher:	minedition
Publication date:	06/01/2015
Series:	Yonezu Board Book
Pages:	26
Sales rank:	344,077
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 6.60(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	2 - 3 Years

About the Author

Yusuke Yonezu is an author and illustrator of children’s books, including the Guess What? series, 5 Little Apples, Bottoms Up!, Rainbow Chameleon, We Love Each Other, and Yum Yum!

Editorial Reviews

"These impeccably designed concept books are deceptively simple and pack lots of opportunity for an engaging reading experience . . . . The bright primary and secondary colors against white backgrounds are just right for toddlers." —slj.com

From the Publisher

What can be built out of blocks? This imaginative board book explores how building blocks can transform into vehicular creations including a train, airplane, rocket ship, and more. Each of the six vehicles is featured over the course of two spreads. The first part of a spread pairs predictable text with a guessing game by asking “What are you building? What can it be?” Part of the page is cut out to reveal a partial outline of the hidden vehicle. The vehicle is revealed as the page is turned and features text that includes the name of the vehicle and the sound it makes. This book can be highly interactive when used with small children and its predictability will help guide emergent readers to success. The illustrations consist of simply drawn squares, circles, rectangles, triangles, and arches that are outlined in black and filled in with vibrant primary colors. Children will also be able to use this book as a blueprint to recreate favorite vehicles with their own blocks. The book is sturdy and will withhold the wear and tear of small hands. While this version of the 2011 title of the same name is not revolutionary, it is a great pick for inspiring creativity in young children. Reviewer: Brandon West; Ages 2 to 4.

Children's Literature - Brandon West

07/01/2015
Baby/Toddler—These impeccably designed concept books are deceptively simple and pack lots of opportunity for an engaging reading experience. Yonezu artfully uses die cuts to introduce questions that will inspire burgeoning imaginations. In Squares, he asks, "What can three small squares be?" At the flip of the page, readers are met with a bus or a train. In Moving Blocks, each page turn introduces vehicles that kids will recognize. The bright primary and secondary colors against white backgrounds are just right for toddlers.

School Library Journal

2015-04-29
Colors, shapes, vehicles, and an invitation to play with blocks add up to a bonanza for imaginative toddlers. Yonezu's board book is reminiscent of Pat Hutchins' classic Changes Changes (1971) but with a modern, graphic style that calls to mind the art of Piet Mondrian. The concept is simple: things that go are built out of bright red, yellow, green, and blue squares, rectangles, and circles outlined in heavy black lines. Each section begins with the conversation starter: "What are you building? What can it be?" A turn of the die-cut page offers a hint about the sound of the vehicle and then the vehicle itself against a clean, white background. The first is a simple truck, with subsequent creations growing increasingly complex: a bus, a train, a ship, a plane, a rocket. Strong graphic design makes this effort aesthetically pleasing. Predicable repetition will help engage active toddlers. Best of all, similar, three-dimensional blocks are easy to find, making the final invitation—"What else can you build?"—one families can readily act on. Millennial parents, and their parents, the grandparents of Generation Alpha, eager to encourage active play and hands-on experiences, will find this offering a pleasing board book to share with toddlers. (Board book. 1-3)

Kirkus Reviews