I Can Tell by Touching (Let'S-Read-And-Find-Out Science. Stage 1)

A simple, rhythmic text by the author of Dinosaur Chase shows how we know that a rock is hard or that a puppy's kiss is wet.

Ages 3-6. Science writing for preschoolers doesn't get much better than this. Otto evokes the physicality of the child's experience as she gives precise, factual information about the sense of touch. Bright, clear illustrations in pen and ink, acrylic, and watercolor show a child first at the kitchen table and then on a walk outside as he talks about discovering shape, texture, and temperature in everyday things. Kids won't be able to resist acting out the text ("I feel my back against the back of the chair. . . . I feel my elbows on the kitchen table"). Otto shows that the skin is sensitive all over, but your hands tell you the most, and she suggests simple experiments to prove it. Sensuous about particulars ("I can feel my feet in my socks and my socks slipping in my shoes"), the action also reaches up and out ("I feel the earth beneath me and the hot sun overhead"). Another excellent concept book in the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. Hazel Rochman