Who Has These Feet? (review)

In this elementary dip into zoology, the title question gets paired several times with a close-up rendering of animal feet; a page turn reveals a follow-up spread that identifies the animal and offers a single-sentence observation on how a unique pedal feature helps the animal move through its environment. This is a model of effective simplicity, precisely geared to preschoolers long on animal interest but short on attention span: “A parrot has these feet. A parrot has two toes in front and two toes in back so it can hold on to branches.” Animals even courteously pose to display the soles of their feet when sticky pads (tree squirrel) or fur (polar bear) are relevant. Youngsters may reasonably object that the sea turtle’s flippers seem to count more as armlike appendages than true feet, but that single quibble is unlikely to undermine the pleasure of guessing the other eight sets of feet. Brooks’ watercolor scenes, which ably highlight both adaptation and environment, will perform well for individual readers and small class groups. A closing spread invites viewers to test their newfound knowledge with a matching game of faces and feet, and a foldout of the proud-looking cast elicits a final “Ooh.”