Walking Through the Jungle

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Walking through the jungle, What do you see? Can you hear a noise? What could it be?" A small child walks, creeps, runs, leaps, swings and, finally, wades through the jungle - hearing animal noises as he goes - in this traditional, everybody-join-in rhyme.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Part nursery rhyme, part guessing game, Lacome's playful book of paper collages conducts an imaginary jungle tour. ``Walking through the jungle, / What do you see? / Do you hear a noise? / What could it be?'' reads the text on the first spread, which shows a toddler against a blank background contemplating the sound ``ssssss.'' Turn the page, and that sibilant sound can be traced to a snake looping its way through a lush tropical wilderness. Illustrations integrate the foreign and the familiar (for example, some trees and vines sport heart-shaped leaves), and subtle variations in color disguise the frequent starkness of the cut-paper medium. Clean patterns and benevolent depictions of the animals balance the impact of Lacome's deep, dramatic palette and dense compositions--while her jungle teems with exotica, it is never chaotic. Layout and pacing are effectively varied, likely to keep vicarious jungle-goers on their toes. Ages 2-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

PreS-K-A young child walks, stomps, creeps, and leaps through the jungle to such questions as, ``What do you see?'' ``Can you hear a noise?'' and ``What can it be?'' answered by ``Over there! An elephant'' (or monkey or lion). Is he following me?'' Readers first see a double-paged spread, text on the left, the toddler performing the action described on the right. Animal sounds lead him through the next spreads, which have the answers and a page-and-a-half picture of each creature against colorful backgrounds thick with stylized plants. Although junglelike in their density, they have a flatness that gives the illustrations, done in paper collage augmented with what appears to be crayon and colored pencil, a cluttered feeling. The simple repetitive text, jungle animals, and sound effects will appeal to young children, but this book doesn't have the spark that makes even the simplest text come alive. Both Bill Martin's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Holt, 1983) and Sue Williams's I Went Walking (Harcourt, 1990) are similar, but more satisfying, choices.-Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Ages 1-4. "Walking through the jungle, / What do you see? / Can you hear a noise? / What could it be?" A traditional English nursery rhyme is given fresh life in this buoyantly illustrated version that will have members of the nursery set creeping, leaping, and stomping (not to mention hissing, roaring, and snapping) along with the young protagonist and a menagerie of jungle beasts. Set against expansive white space, the bright, expressive figure of a little boy (depicted in a Helen Oxenbury-like style) alternates with other, more elaborate paper collages that show folksy-looking animals that are bold in color, clean in composition, and lush in overall feeling. Although the verse seems forced at times, the attractive, engaging book is nicely designed. ~--Julie Corsaro

Horn Book Review

Jaunty paper collage illustrations bring new life to a traditional English nursery rhyme. The starring role goes to a stocky toddler, who is alternately brave and cautious. The child creeps, stomps, leaps, and wades, as he meets a snake, tiger, elephant, lion, monkey, and crocodile. Readers are able to guess the identity of the animal based on the sound it makes. Generous use of white space and bold, bright, childlike graphics make an attractive package. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.