Posts
Summary: Written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Judy Horacek, “This & That” is a story which seeks to introduce kids to different aspects of the natural/historical world. The story begins with the mama mouse taking the baby mouse out of the bed box. Mama mouse then proceeds to lead the story through seas, caves, beaches, trees, kingdoms, circuses and carriages before finally tucking baby mouse in for bed. The story itself serves as a sort of analogy for the bedtime story, a hallmark of many homes.
The text itself is consists of basic, relatively short compound sentences which can be easily understood by an emerging reader while providing a moderate challenge. The story has an extremely lighthearted tone which is in line with its bedtime story style. It also includes several ellipses designed to keep the emerging reader always awaiting the next line. The story is a literal pageturner.
As for the illustrations, they are extremely large and simplistic, yet with a certain sophistication to them. The illustrations were drawn using watercolour on paper. In particular, Horacek chose to utilise a watercolour on water paper which limited the amount of line use and allowed for extensive shading, keeping the used shapes large and basic whilst adding an enormous amount of detail to the artwork. This benefits the emerging reader by serving as an example of and as an introduction to basic art and by challenging the emerging reader to interpret basic 2D images.
Straight Talk for Librarians: In terms of utility, “This & That” can best be described as the ideal bedtime story because of its emphasis on the love of a parent. In the context of a classroom or a library, the story serves as a wonderful introduction to the natural/historical world. Above all, the story serves as a tale meant to inspire the adventurous spirit and to initiate emerging readers as lifelong seekers of knowledge. “This & That” is a story which would make a wondrous addition to any personal or library bookshelf.
No comments:
Post a Comment