I Know a Lot!

June 17, 2013
In this well-executed opposites-themed companion to I Can Do It Myself! and Now I Am Big! a girl with a yellow jumper and hair in neat cornrows shares her knowledge in confident, first-person rhymes. “I know rocks are heavy,/ and flowers are light./ I know bright means day,/ and dark means night,” she boasts as Gillingham shows her playing with friends or riding in the family car. The limited primary color scheme and preponderance of simple shapes bolster the idea of kids mastering the basics. Ages 1–3. Illustrator’s agent: Amy Rennert, Amy Rennert Agency.

July 1, 2013
Krensky offers an unassuming celebration of a child's burgeoning knowledge about the big, wide world she lives in. In easy, rhyming verse, with only one short phrase per page, a youngster proclaims the many things she knows. For instance: "I know rocks are heavy, / and flowers are light. // I know bright means day, / and dark means night." The narrator is an African-American preschooler with big eyes, braids and a sure smile. She is depicted tossing rocks into a river and flowers into the air, riding in a car, bouncing a ball, flying a kite, painting, brushing her teeth and playing the piano, often flanked by a group of ethnically diverse children and occasionally accompanied by her father. The first-person narration coupled with the familiar scenarios presented here will make it easy for children to relate. The charming illustrations, featuring round-eyed, rosy-cheeked youngsters frolicking about, have a vintage quality and are dominated by oranges, yellows and blues. This appealingly illustrated, confidence-boosting board book will inspire little ones to think of--and perhaps catalog aloud--all of the important things they already know about their world. (Board book. 1-3)

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October 1, 2013

PreS-In this large board book, a cheerful little girl with her hair arranged in cornrows shares knowledge from her daily life in rhyming pairs of opposites. "I know snow is cold, /and stoves are hot./If you ask me things, /I know a lot!" Illustrations show her playing in the snow with friends and standing near Dad at the stove with her hands tucked safely behind her back. Primary colors and simple shapes make the retro-chic illustrations pop. Readers will respond to the child's confidence by being proud of their own understanding of the world. This is the third of this team's empowerment titles, but it is fully successful as a stand-alone.-Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2013
Preschool In this confidence-boosting title, an adorable, rosy-cheeked, primary colorwearing, cornrow-adorned protagonist gleefully proclaims her smarts. Focusing on opposites ( I know rocks are heavy / and flowers are light ), and working with a basic rhyme scheme (light is rhymed with night), the book gives young listeners plenty to ponder. Gillingham's art is bright, pleasing, and modern, featuring a bold graphic style heavy with basic shapes. Additionally, the multiethnic cast of characters includes the heroine's single dad, driving her through the night, cooking on a stove, and flying a kite. A sure bedtime hit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)