Can You See Me?

July 1, 2019
Triangles combine to hint at various creatures. The book is composed of a sequence of colorful spreads whose imagery consists of collaged shapes on backgrounds with a texture resembling soft paper. Forests are represented by green triangles of varying hues, the ocean by blue shapes, and the savanna by orange and brown. Each spread contains a constellation of different-sized equilateral triangles representing a few features of an animal--nose, eyes, ears, horns, tusks--hinted at in a brief rhyming riddle. Some of the animals are relatively easy to guess (a fox, a toothy shark), but some are not. In some cases the conceit is far-fetched, as in "The rings around my eyes / might seem like a disguise. / Can you see me?" There is a clear disconnect in depicting a raccoon's mask as triangles, as there is in showing an owl's round eyes as triangles. In some images the mystery animal is represented in profile, which may be difficult for some children, and in others the shapes are so sparse as to be highly challenging to interpret. The focus on triangles may limit the interest the book generates for children once they've guessed which animal is represented. Those inclined to give up will regret the absence of a picture key. May appeal to kids who like visual puzzles but a bit too two-dimensional to generate much excitement. (Picture book. 3-5)

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