Heart to Heart

Description

From beloved Caldecott Honor artist Lois Ehlert comes a clever and funny valentine celebrating love and friendship. Readers of all ages will go bananas for this pun-filled and sweet story filled with rebuses and love. Alphabet letters and bold, graphic images of fruits and vegetables come together in this endearing and playful book that is perfect for sharing.

Lois Ehlert (1934-2021) illustrated numerous inventive, celebrated, and bestselling picture books, including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Mice, Ten Little Caterpillars, and her own Holey Moley, The Scraps Book, RRRalph, Lots of Spots, Boo to You!, Leaf Man, Snowballs, Waiting for Wings, Planting a Rainbow, Growing Vegetable Soup, and Color Zoo, which received a Caldecott Honor.

Ehlert combines her iconic cut-paper images of fruits and vegetables with some text-speak to create a rebus story for Valentine's Day...."Do U [carrot] all 4 me? // [peas] give a sign or Q. // [Heart] talks r not EZ, // i [leaf] it up 2u. // But if my plea suc[seeds], // n U say ok, // we could [celery]brate- // N then mayB // r 2 [hearts] //could [beet] as 1 // someday."...there aren't many children who are not familiar with like sentiments on the ubiquitous seasonal heart-shaped candies, and they will not be able to resist chiming in to name the familiar foods or, if they know their letters and numbers, to call out the ones that stand for whole words. Each spread is a different vibrant color that neatly complements the colors of the objects and text on the pages. And the tiny trim size (just under 6 inches square) makes this an intimate book for sharing one-on-one (or an extra-clever valentine for teens and adults to give). Rebuses get a text update for a modern love note. (Picture book. 3-6) -- Kirkus Reviews * 10/1/16 * Pun lovers, foodies, and puzzlers of all ages will be charmed by Ehlert's love poem, which is packaged in a gift-ready, small-format trim size and constructed around playful rebus-style images of food items and other objects. "I'm [cherry] when I c u," begins one line, "[olive] u, n it shows,/ My [heart] starts [pumpkin]/ from my head down [tomatoes]." The contrast between the electric blues, pinks, greens, and other vivid colors Ehlert uses for her cut-paper artwork makes her spreads seem to vibrate with excited energy, and the various rebus items are labeled for those still learning words such as lime, plum, and lettuce. While there is the occasional groaner tucked in here and there ("We could [celery]brate"), only the surliest readers won't crack a smile as they turn the pages. Irresistible. Up to age 8. -- Publishers Weekly *STARRED REVIEW* * October 31, 2016 *