Eats.

The internationally acclaimed husband-and-wife team of Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter have created another inviting concept book to appeal to young children. In Eats they use the same winning formula that worked so well in their earlier works, One Some Many and Over Under: a limited selection of words combined with a mere half-dozen bold colours. Here, they focus on favourite foods of easily recognized animals.

The basic text consists of two words to a page or double-page spread. The words link an animal and its preferred food (e.g., worm-apple, squirrel-acorn, frog-fly, bees-nectar, dog-bone) but the main focus is on the illustrations. The claim of the publisher that the book serves as an early introduction to the food chain is a little ambitious given the very basic and limited nature of the information.

The clear, vivid illustrations are comprised of painted paper-cut shapes on bright backgrounds. The layout is pleasing and the artwork is simple, bold, and creative. Given the striking primary colours used in the illustrations and the attractiveness of the subject matter, any young child will find this book appealing. They will enjoy pointing out the characters, learning which foods these animals eat, identifying the colours and guessing the answer to the question posed on the last page.

This book would be a great addition to a child’s bookshelf, but should be considered an essential item for libraries, where it would also be a useful component in toddler and preschool programs. Recommended.