100 Things I Know How to Do: A Picture Book

by Amy Schwartz

Overview

100 Things I Know How to Do is an empowering picture book from the award-winning creator of 100 Things That Make Me Happy and 100 Things I Love to Do with You.

Feed goats!
Dig moats!
Do chores!
Roast s’mores!

From beloved author/illustrator Amy Schwartz comes this celebration of independence showcasing 100 things little ones can do on their own. A poster on the back of the book jacket features all 100 things as a collectible keepsake.

“In this tour de force, Schwartz makes slice-of-life depictions of the everyday lives of young children seem like a piece of cake, belying her extraordinary skills of observation and visual characterization . . . Schwartz solidifies her place alongside the likes of Kate Greenaway, Gyo Fujikawa, Helen Oxenbury, Shirley Hughes, and Marla Frazee as chroniclers of little ones’ lives.” —Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419743269
Publisher:	Abrams Appleseed
Publication date:	05/04/2021
Series:	100 Things
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Amy Schwartz (1954–2023) wrote a number of award-winning picture books, including the 100 Things series. She created two New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. She won the Christopher Award, the Charlotte Zolotow Award, and the National Jewish Book Award, among others.

Editorial Reviews

"The text’s rhythm keeps the pace lively while the gouache illustrations inject each activity with true joy and personality... There is much to recognize, relate to, and discover for children and grownups sharing this book for the first time or on repeated viewings. A poster on the back of the book jacket brings all one hundred things together into a large, countable burst of colorful activity."

The Horn Book Magazine

**STARRED REVIEW**
"In this tour de force, Schwartz makes slice-of-life depictions of the everyday lives of young children seem like a piece of cake, belying her extraordinary skills of observation and visual characterization... Schwartz solidifies her place alongside the likes of Kate Greenaway, Gyo Fujikawa, Helen Oxenbury, Shirley Hughes, and Marla Frazee as chroniclers of little ones’ lives."—Kirkus Reviews

"The text’s rhythm keeps the pace lively while the gouache illustrations inject each activity with true joy and personality... There is much to recognize, relate to, and discover for children and grownups sharing this book for the first time or on repeated viewings. A poster on the back of the book jacket brings all one hundred things together into a large, countable burst of colorful activity."—The Horn Book Magazine

"Independence can be community and solitary at the same time. Children and families in these pages do things alone, or together. Schwartz makes it all look like a breeze. With dynamic sets of rhyming pairs to read aloud or all alone, this book makes the mere act of existing and doing into an all-day celebration."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

05/28/2021

PreS-K—"Tiptoe," "Say hello," "Zig-zag," and "Play tag," are just the opening lines of this companion to 100 Things I Love To Do With You and 100 Things That Make Me Happy. Particularly salient due to the times we are in, this work is a look at freedom without hesitation or current restrictions, as in the parent and child "Eating out" have no masks. Characteristically bright and colorful illustrations fill every page, and the variety of playful fonts adds life and movement to the actions depicted. Schwartz visually demonstrates the dual aspects of independence that are portrayed throughout the text. Independence can be community and solitary at the same time. Children and families in these pages do things alone, or together. Schwartz makes it all look like a breeze. VERDICT With dynamic sets of rhyming pairs to read aloud or all alone, this book makes the mere act of existing and doing into an all-day celebration.—Ruth Guerrier-Pierre, New York P.L.

School Library Journal

★ 2021-04-14
A big book about little experiences from a keen documentarian of early childhood.

In this tour de force, Schwartz makes slice-of-life depictions of the everyday lives of young children seem like a piece of cake, belying her extraordinary skills of observation and visual characterization. As in companion titles 100 Things I Love To Do With You (2017) and 100 Things That Make Me Happy (2014), the first-person pronoun in the title is not visually interpreted as a single child but rather as a multiracial ensemble of toddlers and preschoolers, which provides an inclusive, welcoming vision. Deceptively simple couplets introduce the “100 things” these diverse youngsters know how to do while the accompanying art provides visual details for readers to pore over. Meanwhile, expert pacing sparingly uses full-page illustrations to create contemplative moments amid the frequent, energetic vignettes, delivering a visual rhythm that’s every bit as engaging as the bouncing, rhyming words. In one spread, for instance, three vignettes arranged vertically on verso illustrate “build boats / zip coats / wave wands” while across the gutter, a full-page image depicts two adult-child pairs as they “explore ponds”—actually just one pond in a peaceful meadow. With this trio of books, Schwartz solidifies her place alongside the likes of Kate Greenaway, Gyo Fujikawa, Helen Oxenbury, Shirley Hughes, and Marla Frazee as chroniclers of little ones’ lives. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Should you get this book? 100% yes. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews