Who Done It?: Olivier Tallec
October 08, 2015
Book: Who Done It?
Author: Olivier Tallec
Pages: 32
Age Range: 3-5
Who Done It? is an interactive book by Olivier Tallec, perfect for preschoolers. It has extra-thick covers, and is designed to be held horizontally. Each page spread features a question that starts with "Who". For example: "Who didn't get enough sleep?" and "Who played with the mean cat?" Beneath the question are a series of simple illustrations of characters, animal and human, one of which matches with the question (well, two of them match in one case).
My daughter, at five, was able to pick most of the solutions out pretty quickly. On a couple she needed more time, but she only needed help with one of the dozen questions. Younger children will likely need more help - some are obvious, but others are more subtle. The funniest spread asked: "Who couldn't hold it?", with a picture of a sheepish animal standing in a yellow puddle. But all of the questions feature topics that will resonate with preschoolers. A tiny guide at the end of the book shows the solutions.
Tallec's illustrations are not realistic, but they are fun. All of the characters (kids and animals) have huge heads and found eyes with tiny dot pupils. Tallec manages, despite the minimalist drawings, to convey emotions through mouths and eyes, and sometimes posture. A large, blue bear sits, leg crossed and hands folded, on a bench, expression solemn. A blonde girl has bangs that cover her eyes. A boy in love blushes bright pink.
I would have liked to see a bit more diversity in the skin tones of the children, but that's my only complaint. The animals demonstrate a wide range of fur colors, and perhaps this was a deliberate way of making it easier to separate out the kids from the animals.
Overall, though, I think that Who Done It? is a great choice for preschoolers. It's interactive without feeling contrived, and gives young listeners a chance to feel observant. Because the illustrations are relatively small, I think it lends itself more to one-on-one reading with a parent than to classroom or storytime use. I'm gong to try it with my preschool-age nephew when he visits. Recommended!
Publisher: Chronicle Books (@ChronicleKids)
Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
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