The Everything Book, by Denise Fleming

Fleming, Denise. The Everything Book. Henry Holt and Company, 2000. 26 pages. $25.99, ISBN 978-0805088694

AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year-olds

GENRE
Board Book

REVIEW
In this board book, Fleming really does cover a little bit of everything, including introductions to the alphabet, numbers, body parts, facial expressions, colors, shapes, and seasons.  Notably, the sections on shapes and faces will help pre-readers prepare to develop letter knowledge.  The two-page spread on shapes shows not only triangles, circles, and squares in isolation on the left panel, but also includes a cheery scene of houses and mountains on the right panel which places the shapes in a real-world context. The two-page spread of eight babies' and childrens’ faces exhibits diversity in ethnicities/races, genders, and facial expressions depicted.   Although due to the large variety of concepts it contains, this book verges on the disjointed in a few instances, the striking multi-colored dyed-pulp illustrations effectively mitigate this issue.  Their richness makes one stop and savor each depicted concept separately.  This book is a good choice for babies and toddlers alike.

LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
Although this board book version would be most appropriate for one-on-one parent-child sharing, a picture book version would be an excellent choice for infant storytime.