Pure fun, from 1 to 80, this book by the creators of Duck! Rabbit! once again makes us see things differently.
Together, author and artist create words made from letters and numbers. The cover offers the first clue, then the endpapers before the official start of the book: "Have you ever tiptoed through the 2lips?" asks one thought balloon. An especially amusing double-page spread depicts a girl decked out like a ballerina serving tea to her friend in a princess costume, as a kitten tugs at her royal sash. "Would you like some honey 2 swee10 your tea?" the ballet-clad hostess asks. "Yes that would be 1derful. Oh, and I just love your 2-2." The text on the page reads, "They are pre10ding." The wumbers translate into 4eign languages, too, as when a French guide takes Americans on a tour of the Eiffel Tower: "C'est 4midable, non? It's gr8, right?" Their response: "S2pendous!" The book closes with more contemplative moments: a boy and his dog snoozing side by side ("Pure con10tment") and a girl with her journal and book beneath a tree: "A sh80 spot 4 reading and writing."
Like William Steig and his C D B!, to whom Rosenthal and Lichtenheld dedicate their volume, this creative team will launch as many imaginations as the wumber of young people who read this book (artists and texters alike). --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness