If it's all the same to you, I'd rather avert my eyes...
THREE PROS
*Kids will get some enjoyment out of guessing what it is they are viewing through the holes in the pages (you see a small segment of a larger photo through each hole, then you turn the holey paper to reveal a full-page closeup view {usually} of said object before turning it once more to see the complete visual the same subject)
*The postmodern part of me digs a book that is willing to make black the primary page color
*I hear "author" Tana Hoban was kind of a big deal in the photography world
*I hear "author" Tana Hoban was kind of a big deal in the photography world
THREE CONS
*You (and your kids) know what everything is after the first look-through, so why would you really want to reread it more than once if any other activity in the world was available to you
*She doesn't even maintain the integrity of the small-to-bigger-to-full-size progression with each set of pictures -- you'll see the poodle, pretzel, and ostrich are strangely 100% visible in the middle stage
*She doesn't even maintain the integrity of the small-to-bigger-to-full-size progression with each set of pictures -- you'll see the poodle, pretzel, and ostrich are strangely 100% visible in the middle stage
*The images aren't significantly more impressive than an album I could create with my iPhone (granted Hoban's pix were taken decades ago, but, then again, she was famous for her camera, was using top-of-the-line equipment, and had a publisher to perfect any imperfections)
ONE DAD'S OPINION
The rating for Look Book is so obvious. It's gotta be a Donate because I have a negative overall opinion of the thing, but still see its value as a single-use item. Instead of spending $18(!) on this once-in-a-lifetime book (as in: you would only want to open it once in your lifetime), gather up some scissors, construction paper, old photos, and family members so you can recreate the concept on your living room floor. [Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm gonna make a few calls to my contacts in the board game industry after I click submit on this post...] Before I go, can we just discuss the back cover for a second? How could a who's who of esteemed voices in the industry (School Library Journal, New York Times, The Horn Book) so easily give praise to the other books in this series, which are essentially doppelgangers of this one. Does anyone who works on the business side of children's books ever feel compelled to at least abstain from commentary, let alone offer an outright refusal? One can dream...
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
ONE DAD'S OPINION
The rating for Look Book is so obvious. It's gotta be a Donate because I have a negative overall opinion of the thing, but still see its value as a single-use item. Instead of spending $18(!) on this once-in-a-lifetime book (as in: you would only want to open it once in your lifetime), gather up some scissors, construction paper, old photos, and family members so you can recreate the concept on your living room floor. [Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm gonna make a few calls to my contacts in the board game industry after I click submit on this post...] Before I go, can we just discuss the back cover for a second? How could a who's who of esteemed voices in the industry (School Library Journal, New York Times, The Horn Book) so easily give praise to the other books in this series, which are essentially doppelgangers of this one. Does anyone who works on the business side of children's books ever feel compelled to at least abstain from commentary, let alone offer an outright refusal? One can dream...
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
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