How to Be

by Lisa Brown, Lisa Brown (Illustrator)

Overview

This is a book about

how to be a:

Bear

Monkey

Turtle

Snake

Spider

Dog.

This is a book about

how to be a:

Person.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060546359
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/09/2006
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Lisa Brown is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of How To Be, Sometimes You Get What You Want, and the New York Times bestselling book The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and son.

Lisa Brown is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of How To Be, Sometimes You Get What You Want, and the New York Times bestselling book The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and son.

Editorial Reviews

Brown (Baby, Mix Me a Drink), the author of faux children's titles for an adult audience, now turns in a picture book intended for children despite an archness of tone. Six sections with a few pages each include suggestions disguised as aping exercises. "How to be a Bear," for instance, invites readers to "Catch fish with your hands./ Hibernate./ Growl./ Be brave." Accompanying artwork features a brother and sister with matching knobby knees and lumpy red bathing suits. The two amuse themselves against blank white fields that create a feeling of make-believe, even if it plays up the rather distant tone of the children's interactions. "How to be a Monkey" starts, "Swing from a tree," while the brother swings from a branch, and his sister eats grapes above him. "Eat with your toes," it continues, as the boy brings a bunch of grapes to his mouth with his foot. "Copy someone" shows a series of stop-action drawings of the brother mimicking his sister; she discovers him, then stamps and shouts. Unfortunately, the choppy format does not allow for much characterization here; readers never get much of a sense of either sibling and may not see a need to heed their advice. Ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 3-A girl and a younger boy take turns imitating different animals, including a bear, a snake, and a dog. Each of the brief chapters is introduced by a title page with an illustration of a common object (a basket, a pull toy, etc.) decorated with a picture of or shaped like the creature in question and used throughout the vignette. For example, "How to be a TURTLE" opens with a sand pail with a turtle painted on it. The monkey section shows a book with a monkey on the cover, followed by the boy swinging from a tree, eating with his toes, copying the girl (who is trying to read the volume), and displaying curiosity. The final chapter, "How to be a PERSON," shows both children embodying all the positive characteristics of the critters with the animals shadowing their actions. The last line reminds readers, "Be yourself." The spare text matches the black-and-white drawings, supplemented with well-placed smatterings of bright paint. While the simplicity of the language and the artwork may appeal to toddlers, older preschoolers will appreciate the children's humorous antics. This striking picture book may also inspire school-age children to create their own versions of the story with different animals.-Rachel G. Payne, Brooklyn Public Library, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal