cover image ASK ME

ASK ME

Antje Damm, Anjte Damm, . . Roaring Brook/Porter, $14.95 (224pp) ISBN 978-0-7613-1845-3

Geared for adults and sophisticated children, this high-concept picture book is beautifully executed and irresistibly packaged. Each turn of the page reveals a different question, smartly set off against neon-bright backdrops, while facing pages spotlight thematically related images, many of which feature Damm's puckish artwork. "What do you like to collect?" appears opposite a full-color photograph of new and antique racing cars, sporty convertibles, tractors and trucks, neatly arranged in a wooden toy box. A boy and girl with sketched faces atop collage images of fabric and graph paper sit in front of a computer screen for "What can you do better than your parents?" While the visual blend of German-born Damm's artwork has a distinctly European flavor, most of the images are universal, ranging from the tender ("What do you like to touch?" alongside a black-and-white photograph of an adult hand caressing a chubby toddler foot) to the commonplace (a photograph of a child perched in a tree for "What's your favorite place to play?") to the unexpected (for "Whom can you talk to about everything?" a pair of pigeons huddle together on a ledge). The book's small, chunky format invites hands to hold and explore it. A few images may be frightening to younger readers (e.g., a graveyard scene for "Whom do you miss?") but most of the conversation-sparking questions are broad enough and the packaging edgy enough to work as successfully with toddlers as with teens. All ages. (Jan.)