K—Gr 2—A brown-skinned, black-haired boy and white, blonde girl embark on a series of adventures, exploring a whirling clockwork machine, a pirate ship, and a fairy forest, in this book that is not just a book. For "this is a sculpture,/some fine work of art,/a puzzle assembled,/for taking apart./It plumps up your thinker/and fills up your heart./And where you end up/is not where you start./Surely, it's more than a book." While richly detailed illustrations in vibrant colors encourage readers to closely examine all the whimsy and imagination each spread holds, the text brings this work down. The oft-repeated mantra that a book is more than its physical parts ultimately feels preachy, like an enthusiastic adult trying to sell kids on the wonders of reading. The words themselves are varied and descriptive, but the message gets muddled with phrases like, "Because books do not have wings." Surely they do, with all the magic they possess?
