Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?

Slaughter's brightly colored cut-paper shapes and newcomer Shea's verse recall favorites of 50 years ago%E2%80%94a feeling reinforced by this book's matte pages, blocky images, and fun-to-flip gatefolds. "If a duckling grows/ and becomes a duck,/ can a car grow and become..." reads the text on facing pages; children will be able to guess what's coming even before the gatefold opens%E2%80%94"a truck?" Slaughter (Which Way?) revels in paint-box primaries, pushing reds, greens, yellows, and blues up against each other for maximum visual charge. The gatefolds break in interesting places%E2%80%94halfway down a garment hanging on a hanger, for example, turning a floral sweater into a full-length coat%E2%80%94and contain the occasional die-cut, too. Shea's verses scan consistently and gracefully. "YES to ducks, bears, and owls./ NO to trucks, chairs, and towels," she writes, reinforcing the idea that living things grow but inanimate objects don't. The beauty of the rhymes is that they teach a lesson children already know; children will relish the fun of being sure of all the answers, and they'll love Shea's tongue-in-cheek tone. Ages 4%E2%80%93up. (May)