FOOD HIDE AND SNEAK

As the Sesame Street song goes: “One of these things is not like the others, / One of these things just doesn’t belong, / Can you tell which thing is not…?”

Indeed, this mostly wordless book introduces readers to the spot-the-odd-one-out game with a play on those words. Using a limited palette of pink, green, and brown against a white background, each (mostly) double-page spread displays a group of objects of similar shape and color. One object that just doesn’t belong has been cleverly snuck into each grouping. As the title suggests, the groupings are all food related—though with candy, ice cream, and sodas included, “edibles” might be a better word. Sometimes it can be function that marks the odd one out, as with the road sign that sneakily stands among the candy and lollipops or the rocket ship that looks so much like the bottles and containers of drinks. In other instances it’s a different category of food, as with the banana among the meats. But each spread provides a rich opportunity for adults to engage children in examining, describing, and discussing categories. Should there be questions about the correct answers, the last double-page spread has a visual key.

Young readers can practice observational and organizational skills with this clever book that masquerades as a game.