cover image All about All of You - Boxed Set of 4: Faces; Feelings; Bodies; Clothes

All about All of You - Boxed Set of 4: Faces; Feelings; Bodies; Clothes

Sue Clarke, Sue Clark. Hyperion Books, $15.95 (16pp) ISBN 978-0-7868-0035-3

Packaged in an eye-catching slipcase featuring Clarke's Warhol-toned collage art, this appealing set consists of four small-format, paper-over-board books, each focused on something near and dear to preschoolers: themselves. The text for each title is minimal, ranging from declarative sentences in Faces and Feelings (""When you feel happy your mouth is smiling"") to brief phrases in Bodies (""Heads on necks/ Necks on shoulders/ Arms end in hands/ Hands end in fingers"") and simple questions in Clothes (""What do you wear on your legs and your feet?""). Only Clothes and Feelings address readers directly; the other books are written in an impersonal voice, which, given the set's title, is curious. Yet Clarke's highly textured, paneled art is consistently diverting. Inventively juxtaposed paintings, photographs and prints, and dextrously incorporated textiles, twines and other sundries create an intriguing 3-D effect; youngsters will be touching the pages to ""feel"" the objects on them. Ages 2-5. (Nov.)