Now What? a Math Tale

The digitally colored pencil illustrations with some photographic elements are dear, with an appropriate level of simplicity and lots of negative space in its white, pastel blue, or yellow backgrounds. The puppy's soft curves and spots provide a distinctive visual counter to the beveled edges of the blocks. Quaint independent learning.

PreS-K-A floppy-eared puppy wants to build a bed out of toy blocks. Puppy picks out the blocks and carefully examines them, counting the number of sides on each one. Puppy also notices whether the sides are straight or short and so forth. Then Puppy names the block. It's a rectangle, square, or triangle. Puppy then fits the blocks together, like solving a puzzle, using each shape to build one larger rectangle that is big enough for Puppy to lay upon. Once the different shapes are aligned together, Puppy then drags the stuffed bear and blanket to the bed and snuggles in for a snooze. The illustrations are simple with just a pup, a blanket, a stuffed bear, and wood blocks against a solid color background. The cute puppy is digitally drawn while the other items, including the blocks, are photographed. The simple short sentences work well with the large font. Care has been taken to keep the mathematical concepts accessible. VERDICT Puppy, with his sweet face and plump physique, successfully delivers early math concepts in a gentle manner for a very young audience. Another winning entry in the series.-Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Harris succeeds in describing block shapes ("1. 2. 3. 4 corners. 1. 2. 3. 4 straight lines—all the same size. Hey! This is a square!") and Puppy's trial-and error-process in kid-friendly terms, providing support for young builders who might not see the design flaws right away. Readers should pair this book with real blocks for a tail-waggingly fun building session once Puppy settles in for a well-earned victory nap.
—Shelf Awareness for Readers