Lane Smith's clever board book adaptation converts the text of his It's a Book into a series of discoveries for a donkey in diapers and his similarly attired but more knowledgeable monkey buddy.
The Caldecott Honor artist of Grandpa Green exploits a toddler's intuitive need to investigate all new objects. With his same earth-toned palette, Smith keeps the focus on the friends' expressions and body language. "What is that?" the donkey asks the monkey, who's holding a book. "Is it for chewing?" continues the donkey as he mouths the book's rounded corners. "No," says the monkey. And on it goes: opened like a laptop ("Is it for e-mailing?") and hurled through the air ("flying?"). Finally, the monkey explains: "It's for reading...." In the last image, the two read together ("It's a book, silly"). A book to be shared with the entire family, from smallest hands to biggest hands. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness