Product Description

Share these familiar
shapes with your baby.

It is never too early
to look and talk
together!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13498 in Books
• Published on: 1993-05-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Board book
• 12 pages

From Amazon.com
Tana Hoban has created an elegant solution for those who want to initiate children into the infinite wonders of reading. This picture book compels parents to talk to their babies as they share the wordless pages with their little ones. Black illustrations on a white background provide high contrast for infants' underdeveloped eyes. Soothingly familiar, silhouetted shapes--a leaf, a key ring, a bib, an elephant--will be recognized by the very young, and through these simple pictures, aspiring readers will begin to identify the link between the objects they see and the words their caregivers say. Hoban, beloved author of many childhood favorites, including Black on White's companion piece, White on Black, as well as Is It Red? Is It Yellow? Is It Blue? and What Is It?, has struck gold again--black gold, that is. It's the perfect baby gift! (Baby to Preschool) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
Guided by the same precepts as those inspiring Dick Witt's Let's Look at Animals and Let's Look at My World (see review above), Hoban creates two stylish board books using only black and white. One volume drops out clearly recognizable shapes from black ground (a sailboat, a bird, a flower and so forth appear in white); the other sets black objects against white ground. The black in both books is shiny enough to reflect images on facing pages. White on Black may be more dramatic, but Black on White is more varied, alternating solid shapes (leaf, fork and spoon) with patterned or stencil-like images (butterfly, spectacles). Hoban's compositions are so supple and her layouts so well balanced that she casts a kind of spell; it's as if the color and black-and-white segments of the Wizard of Oz were reversed, with the ordinary seeming somehow magical. Ages 6 mos.-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ingram
A high-contrast board book features black pictures on a white background, perfect for infants who can respond to the strong contrast in colors.

Customer Reviews

Perfect book for newborns
Who says babies are too young for books? This book (and Ms. Hoban's other similar books)is a shining example that we're never too young to be introduced to books and reading. The bright, crisp, contrasting images are perfect for new babies. My baby loves this book, and will sit entranced for quite a while as we talk about the images we see. My only complaint would be that it is too short! (Of course, so are babies' attention spans) I think this book is a great baby shower or 'new baby' present. Their first book, what could be a better gift?

A great book to stimulate your newborn!!!
This book is great! No words, just contrasting black and white pictures. My newborn loved it. He couldn't really concentrate on anything visually, as most newborns are that way, but the minute he saw this book, he just stared and stared at it. I recommend it to all new mothers!

Still one of baby's favorites
Baby's had this book since birth... and after 4 months, it is still one of her favorites. The pictures really grab her attention, and she likes to study them. Also since there are no words, you can make up a new story for the pictures each time if you want!