Review: Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan A. Shea

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?
By Susan A. Shea
Illustrated by Tom Slaughter
Blue Apple
ISBN: 978160950627
$16.99
Grades PreK-1
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Often times, lift the flap books bring little more to the table than flaps. I’ve read scores of them where the primary focus amounts to something like “Hey, I’m a book with flaps. Get liftin’”. Occasionally, a book comes along that does things right – Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow is this sort of book. With flaps that are seamlessly integrated and vital to the story, and rhyming text that delivers, this is a book that will gather plenty of fans. Count me among them.

It’s pretty simple. Some things grow, some things don’t. In the first spread, Do You Know asks kids if they can destinguish between these two groups. What follows is a series of questions punctuated by a lift the flap surprise.

If a duckling grows

and becomes a duck,

can a car grow

and become…

(lift flap)

a truck?

The questions keep rolling in. Can a stool grow into a chair? A sweater into a coat? A watch into a clock? The story concludes as it should, with a question about readers themselves.

The illustrations mix brightly colored paint and cut paper to create a bold mix. Geometric shapes and patterns abound. The illustrations expand when each flap is lifted, matching the “will it grow?” concept perfectly.

The question and answer format, bold illustrations, and large flaps make this an excellent read aloud candidate. Readers will delight in predicting what each flap reveals. The idea of inanimate objects growing brings humor that readers will get into.

Appealing on all fronts, Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow will make a well-loved addition to your collection.

Review copy from publisher

Visit illustrator Tom Slaughter’s website.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.