Those Green Things

Fran Ashdown was the Head of the Children's Department, Capilano Branch, North Vancouver District Public Library.

The author of Red Is Best has created an amusing tale based on a child’s queries about the nature of common green household objects. After her patient mother responds with an explanation, the child describes the objects as she perceives them. Her outrageous suggestions provide a humorous touch and her zany misconceptions will seem totally logical to the preschool audience for which the book is intended. The story ends with an illustrated catalogue of those green things as they really are. The child’s sly sense of humour is evident in her final question, as is her mother’s patient resignation with the game.

This is yet another competent publication in the standard Annick picture-book format. The illustrations, while colorful and attractive, lack the dramatic impact of those for Stinson’s two previous picture books. However, the badinage between mother and child and the disparity between the one’s realistic viewpoint and the other’s buoyant imagination will ensure that this becomes a popular title.