Review Detail

PARTS OF A WHOLE is an intriguing picture book that discusses the things that make up a whole. The book begins with Ada the cat who is wondering what makes up different things. She then travels to think about what makes up a Christmas tree, a road intersection, space, a roll of toilet paper, and more. Curious children will enjoy breaking these wholes apart into all their pieces.

What I loved: This is a clever premise that helps children to start thinking about teamwork and how small things can make up a larger concept. The different wholes that are broken apart into tetris-like images that are also labeled for ease of describing. The things chosen are really interesting, describing a wide swath of different types of things from objects around the house and toys to more abstract concepts like hockey matches and intersections.

The illustrations are quite clever and will appeal to young readers. The book could also be turned into simple games with children thinking about all the parts they can think of and then finding them in the other illustration or trying to describe how they all come together in the whole.

Final verdict: PARTS OF A WHOLE is an intriguing book that helps children to consider how small things can add up to something exciting.