Debora Pearson

hen an unnamed protagonist leaves her home country for an English-speaking one, the words she’s always relied on fly away, leaving her silent and a little bit lonely.

Practicing English in her original home left her unprepared for both how quickly people speak and how much slang they use. From the teacher’s lecture to the voice on the intercom, everything feels impossible to understand. Words, however, are not the only source of her confusion. When she gets lost at school, the teacher show more calls the protagonist the “new girl,” even though she is who she’s always been—it’s everything else that’s new. The girl misses her friends, wishing she could tell them about all the new things she’s seen, like snow, and dogs wearing boots. Eventually, she is able to make a new friend—and when she does, her words, slowly, come back. This warmly illustrated picture book adeptly captures the experience of moving to a new country and learning a new language. The narrator’s struggle and her slow but steady adjustment to her new home perfectly balance optimism and realism. The book’s watercolor-and-ink drawings evoke a world that feels simultaneously diffuse and sharply defined, thereby serving as a wonderful parallel for the narrator’s experience. All characters have paper-white skin and black hair; the narrator wears her hair in two puffy pigtails, and her new friend wears hers in a pageboy.(This book was reviewed digitally.)

A frank and optimistic picture book about learning to live in a new language. (Picture book. 3-8)

-Kirkus Review show less

This was such a phenomenal surprise. I wasn't sure what I expected, but it definitely wasn't such a slick introduction to the nature of scientific engineering mimicking nature. While Animachines at first seems to only cater to the toddler crowd, what with its one-word-a-page style rendering, this implied but unspoken segue actually makes it appropriate for slightly older children. My 4-year-old enjoyed assessing which machines were invented to specifically mimic animals found in nature vs. show more which just had coincidentally similar capabilities.

Given that the field of robotics is expanding drastically, this book is a perfect tool to introduce the concept of science mimicking nature in the development thereof. While my kiddo enjoyed the digital version provided through NetGalley for reviewing purposes, I definitely hope to get a physical copy later on for greater utility. show less

My words flew away too--on a trip to France. A young girl moves from her country to the United States. She practiced some English words before coming, but couldn't remember them or understand words that were spoken to her after she arrived. She spends much time observing and listening. Then she gets a chance to show someone kindness with no words needed. After that, she is able to communicate better with a classmate. The proper grammar we learn in a foreign language class is never what you show more hear when you travel. That is portrayed very well in this book. What's up? c'mon. yeah sure. sheesh. These also need to be taught in a foreign language class. Readers will learn some empathy for ESL/ELL people. show less

Parents and caregivers will enjoy reading this book with their children/charges and talking about what is happening in each picture. Each animal demonstrates that it can do exactly what a machine can do. A giraffe and cherry picker work side by side to trim a tree, whales dive and move underwater just like a submarine, and a strong male lion makes the sound of a racecar with his mighty roar, along with others. There are not a lot of pages, so it will not over stimulate or cause the child to show more lose interest.

The illustrations are cute and playful and on each page there is a little gnome to find. The illustrations are very colourful. The verbs (action words) are highlighted in the text, words like: dive, squirt, and dig. The actions make the message of the book clear to little ones. This book can be a catalyst for imaginative thinking and play (as kids try to act out what the animals are doing) and as they try to think of other animachines.

This book should be in every family library as well as pre-schools. A great way to develop vocabulary.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. show less