Ruth Heller (1) (1923–2004)

A rhyming picture book that introduces various mammals and then shows how their camouflage helps to hide them in their habitats. I appreciate the note at the end that camouflage is both for prey trying to avoid being eaten and predators trying to capture prey to eat.

In playful poetry Heller explores pronouns in many categories: personal, possessive, reflexive, demonstrative, relative, interrogative, and indefinite. With zany pictures accompanying the silly yet factual text, Heller makes learning about pronouns fun. I like the surreal nature of the illustrations in this series, where objects are presented in a realistic style but are juxtaposed in ways that aren't at all natural. The vibrancy of the pictures grab the reader's attention.

This is a great show more series in children's nonfiction. Language and writing are so essential to life. Not only are the results of language fun - such as books - but the play of language itself can be amusing, as this book demonstrates. Heller presents the power and potential of pronouns, helping readers of every age appreciate language at a deeper level. show less

Playful rhymes run through the basic components of nouns: plurals, compounds, concrete and abstract, common and proper. Once again, the illustrations here, as in the rest of the series, are beautifully detailed pictures, realistic in their representations but surreal in the chaotic juxtapositions. The pictures certainly take center stage. They are full page spreads, with the text squeezed in on the side, or overlayed on top of the illustrations.

This book conveys the fun and surprise of show more reading, discovering that so much wealth can be stored in just some pages and a cover. Her bold illustrations and whimsical rhymes teach children that language, even the grammar of it, can be a fun and wild ride. I have always felt that language is one of our most powerful tools, that words, even physical letters on a page, have a presence that exists within and without stories, and this book demonstrates the complexity of our wonderful language. If you want to make learning about words fun, use this book, and this series. show less

I enjoy Ruth Heller books so much I could not pass up her biography.

While not gripping it is interesting and I’m more curious about her now.

This shows her struggle to get published, where she does her work, and how she does some of her work. I love that there are pictures of her other books in this book.

What fun to look at both. 🙂