Just Like You and Me

Featuring stunning cut-paper collages, a vibrant picture book introduces young readers to the similarities between humans and animals, from being swift like a cheetah and sociable like a penguin to being as graceful as a dancing crane.

PreS-K-Dramatic art created with paper sculpture and a brief text describe the habits and behaviors that animals and humans share. The repeating refrain of "just like you and me" may be redundant, but the font is playfully enhanced and printed. "-cranes love to dance. Just like you and me" is accompanied by one spread of two cranes in graceful poses, followed by a spread that shows a young ballerina in a pink tutu against a stage curtain. Although backgrounds are plain, the illustrations of the animals and the ethnically diverse children are a delight. Vibrant colors and large, uncluttered images make the book effective for group presentations. A visual delight.-Debbie Stewart, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI

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Ages 4-6. Alternating spreads show animals and humans engaged in similar activities, such as showing off, blending in, and dancing, while the text ties the two pictures together. "Swiftest of all cats, the golden cheetah moves like the wind," says a line accompanying an illustration of a running cheetah. Turn the page to see a girl racing along on inline skates: "Just like you and me." The most striking aspect of the book is its artwork. Three-dimensional paper sculpture, often brilliantly colored, is the medium here. Oddly, the scenes of animals are beautifully conceived visually but the accompaning text is a little stiff. While on the pages with people, the repeated words "Just like you and me" sound natural and work well, but the pictures look a bit staged. Still, the boldly conceived artwork will intrigue children as well as adults. Carolyn Phelan
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