Now We Can Go

A small child refuses to leave on a trip until all favorite toys have been meticulously sorted from the toy box into a traveling bag. The box on the left of each spread empties as the bag on the right fills up. Various toys and a book (entitled Now We Can Go go one by one from box to bag. Then the child is ready. To the youngster hearing this book aloud, the movement of the toy may be too subtle and the illustration too flat to show the acts of taking out and putting in. To the older reader, the spreads may seem redundant or dull. Jonas's previous books have impressed and delighted readers with their illusory worlds and imaginative illustrations; expectations for her new books always run high. Perhaps that's why this book is a little disappointing. (26)