Lots of Dots

October 18, 2010
Frazier (the Stanley books) identifies dots in the everyday landscape with a designer's palette and tidy verse. The silhouette of an eager, wide-eyed young man bounces through the pages, while flat shapes and deft use of color allow children to focus on the dots in each spread. "There are dots for going," Frazier points out as the young man stops his car in front of a traffic light. The car, the man, and the traffic light housing are all orange, and the contrasting red, yellow, and green dots on the light jump out at readers. "nd dots for licking," the verse continues, as the young man, now in blue, works on an ice cream cone whose scoops are raspberry, orange, and lime. "ots for snacking" accompanies a peapod, "and dots for kicking" pairs with a ball launched high in the air. Frazier maintains an upbeat tone with tight rhyme and meter throughout; with the exception of one night scene, with dots for stars, the backgrounds are plain white, giving the pages a freshly washed, contemporary feel. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from October 15, 2010

In his gamesome new work, Frazier shows how one shape—the simple dot—creates and shapes our world. Dots make music, are food, define weight and designate order; they help to clothe us and prompt play—they are truly everywhere! Ebullient illustrations, done in a vibrant palette with simple, clean lines, evoke Matisse cutouts. Defined by silhouette and color, the images are packed with energy and humor. The illustrator's excellent execution of color theory offers a master class to budding artists, while racing wheels, dappled dogs, bouncing balls, bright balloons and buoyant bubbles will have young readers returning to its pages time and again. Complete with a simple, rhyming text—"some dots are heavy, / some dots are light, / some dots are colorful / and some dots are bright"—that will have toddlers asking for repeat readings, this is an entirely playful examination into what composes our world and how much is hidden in the everyday. Zingy and crisp, joyful and sprightly, this is one outstanding read. (Picture book. 2-7)

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December 1, 2010

PreS-K-"Some dots are big, /some dots are small./Some dots float, /and some dots fall." So begins an energetic celebration of dots that features a drum, a ladybug, balloons, and oranges. The red, yellow, and green circles on a traffic signal are followed by raspberry, orange, and lime dots atop a blue ice-cream cone. Frazier's simple graphic art pops against the white backgrounds, as do white dots as round stars against a black sky. A man whose fluid shape is different colors on different spreads discovers dots everywhere-and so will youngsters. The final spread is a montage of the many dots featured, including a spotted dog, fried eggs, and a gumball machine. Tana Hoban's photographs in So Many Circles, So Many Squares (Greenwillow, 1998) expand the concept, as do the torn-paper illustrations in Ellen Stoll Walsh's Mouse Shapes (Harcourt, 2007).-Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.