OPPOSITES

Ten pairs of common opposing concepts are featured in this board book for toddlers, with active illustrations of diverse people of a variety of ages, hair, and skin color.

The settings, a different one on each double-page spread, are ones that many young children are familiar with. A bus filled with people, including a woman in a hijab, goes “Over” a bridge, while a small boat goes “Under” it; children play and swim in the “Wet” waves while others play on the “Dry” beach. There is just one capitalized word on each page, and the illustrations are done with watercolor and colored pencil in a muted multicolored palette that complements the spare delivery. Some spreads vary from the single-setting presentation, instead featuring the same setting in opposing conditions. On the verso representing “Hot” is a pond in summer, with kids wearing shorts and sleeveless dresses and eating ice cream. On the recto, “Cold,” bundled-up kids skate on the same pond. Opposites are a difficult concept for young children to understand, and some of the pairings in this book are either too subtle or not well-portrayed, such as “Open” and “Closed” (umbrellas on a rainy day), “Near” and “Far” (subway trains), and “Stop” and “Go” (halted traffic and walking pedestrians, including a girl who uses a wheelchair).

Featuring typical opposites in familiar settings, this board book offers little new.