Whose Ears?

March 1, 2019
A guessing game for the littlest animal lovers.Tarsky combines a description of an animal's ears with a close-up of those organs and a clue as to the animal's habitat. While the only time the question is asked is in the title, readers will quickly catch on and chime in with their guesses. The text "big ears" accompanies two pointy, orange-furred ears against a white backdrop with bluish paw prints (fox). "Little ears" shows the side of a gorilla, including an arm and the curve of the backside, leafy vines trailing down the green background. The opposites continue with such pairs as "stand-up" and "floppy" and "round" and "pointy." No answers are provided in the text; instead, the endpapers (back and front are identical) label a small picture of the full animal with the name and ear description of each of the 16 pairs of ears. Some of the pages are more challenging than others (and some are giveaways), and readers will certainly be introduced to new animals (an armadillo has "hard ears"). Publishing simultaneously, Whose Feet? follows the same format and features a few of the same animals from Ears along with new ones, including polar bear ("four wet feet"), lion ("fat feet"), squirrel ("digging feet"), and tortoise ("slow feet"). The simple, black-outlined artwork keeps the focus on the relevant features and clues.A fun activity to share with children in the identify-and-name stage. (Picture book. 2-5)

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May 20, 2019
Stubby triangular tufts, diminutive crescents, pendulous lops, rigid and stripy, soft and silky—a delightful variety of animal ears take center stage in this guessing game book for the preschool set. Each page depicts a close-up crop of a pair of ears described in simple terms, usually juxtaposed with ears of an opposite nature on the companion page: “stand-up ears,” “floppy ears”; “VERY big ears,” “VERY little ears.” Tarsky’s creamily colorful illustrations offer extra tells for each animal—green bamboo for a panda, a red leash for a dog—nudging readers toward correct identifications, and the endpapers name all of the animals mentioned in the book along with the words used to describe their ears. It’s a simple but well-executed take on a popular theme for young children. Also available: Whose Feet?, Whose Nose?, and Whose Tail? Ages 3–5.