Tag: jeanette rowe

Whose Poo? by Jeannette Rowe

Parents who have older children may look at the title of this book and wonder if there is a need for yet another poo book. But those who are familiar with Jeannette Rowe’s other Whose books (including Whose ears? and Whose feet?) will be tempted to look at this one, too, and won’t be disappointed.

There is not a sign of any ‘real’ poo in this one – which is a relief in an illustrated book – with the poo instead being humorous and unexpected. Robot’s poo, for example, is nuts and bolts, whilst rocking horse’s poo is wood shavings. The final picture has a potty-training message with a child pointing into a potty and saying ‘my poo’.

Kids will love the humour and the lift the flap format, while adults will like the simple message about potty training – that it is fun.

Very cute.

Whose poo? by Jeannette Rowe
ABC Books, 2005

Whose nose? feet? ears? by Jeanette Rowe

Reviewed by Magdalena Ball

Jeannette Rowe’s books are vibrant and child friendly, full of big, naïve, and visually appealing pictures with characters like YoYo that young children love instantly. Her lift-the-flap Whose series is very basic and ideal for the youngest children in your family (from about 6 months or so), and parents can really help develop early cognative skills plus a love of books by haming it up and asking the question, “Whose nose?” and then answering “Pig’s nose.” Children really enjoy looking at pictures of animals and as soon as they are old enough to speak, they will begin identifying the owners of noses, feet and ears themselves.

The Whose series was originally created as small individual books, sold in sets of three, but this new compilation has all three books in one large, glossy hardback, perfect for gift giving. Children will love Rowe’s big gold pig with purple dots, her vivid cobalt blue elephant outlined in green and black, her white and pink mouse, the turquoise rhino, and other adorable and unique creatures. This new book is sturdier than the little ones, and as the flaps are a simple fold back, will withstand use from small, chubby fingers just coming to grips with their fine motor skills.

Rowe’s books have now become classics for the youngest children in the house, and this new compilation is very likely to be a favourite. Older children, especially new readers around 4-5 will enjoy reading this to younger siblings, and both will benefit from the confidence building that comes with being able to get the questions right and successfully participate. The books focus on two things that young children know and understand well – body parts and animals, and all three “stories” end with a reference to the child – “my feet,” which parents can make much of by tickling, pointing at the child, and generally having fun. This is a lovely, gorgeously presented book which has been designed to take the kind of heavy use that it will certainly get in any home with young children. A beautiful Christmas present. For more information visit: http://shop.abc.net.au/browse/product.asp?productid=160658

Whose nose? feet? ears? by Jeanette Rowe ABC Books ISBN 0-7333-1423-6, hardback, 2004

This book first appeared at Preschool Entertainment. It is reprinted here with permission.

YoYo Go Maze & YoYo Go Spy, by Jeanette Rowe

Reviewed by Magdalena Ball

YoYo is a popular Maisy-Mouse styled dog who has become almost as famous as Maisy herself. He has been designed specifically to appeal to the very young, with simple naïve drawings, very bright colours, and simple, easy to follow adventures involving his animal friends, his little toy horse, and his family. The two new YoYo books are full of interactive fun and problem solving which will keep youngsters amused for long periods. YoYo Go Maze has seven different mazes, each with a different theme. There is a park, a pirate scene, fishing, an animal’s underground world, a farm, a jungle, and a zoo. In each two page scene, children have to find their way through the simple maze to an end path, but along the way they also have to find a variety of different animals or objects. Even the youngest children (from age one or so) can find the items along the way and older children (to age five or so) can follow the maze and build their knowledge of the things in the scene and their confidence.

In YoYo Go Spy, there are also seven scenes, one where YoYo is flying to the moon, a pirate captain looking for Treasure Island, a knight, at the circus, diving on the reef, in the jungle, and by the pond. The scenes are wonderfully detailed, and there are specific items to look for and find. It’s a kind of very simplified Where’s Wally for the youngest members of your family. Children will love these books, and for younger siblings of children who already enjoy mazes, this is a chance for them to join in. The scenes are fairly true in terms of the animals they contain, and so children can really learn about the different habitats and the types of creatures and items they contain. If they are already familiar with YoYo, they will enjoy pointing out his hidden friends and family, who also join in the make-believe. There’s plenty of fun for children, and lots of opportunity for adult interaction.

YoYo Go Maze ISBN 0733313361
YoYo Go Spy ISBN 073331337X
By Jeannette Rowe
ABC Books, Softcover, AU$9.95, 2004, 16pages each

This review first appeared at PreschoolEntertainment. It is reprinted here with permission.