Look! Look! Look! written and illustrated by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace with Linda K. Friedlaender, is a fun, potentially interactive book that highlights creative methods of observation.. A simple picture viewed from the various perspectives of each mouse (Kiki, Kat, and Alexander) results in several different demonstrations of those observations through the use of colors, shapes, and creativity.
Kiki, Kat, and Alexander, three curious mice, borrow a postcard of a portrait from the 1600’s that arrived for The Bigley’s. They find all sorts of new things in the portrait by working together and listening to each others ideas.
“Look through my viewing frame,” said Alexander. “Look at her hand!”
“Look what I see!” said Kiki. “Jewels!”
“Look here!” said Kat. “I see patterns.” (Wallace, p. 7-9).
Alexander sees lines and shapes in the portrait and uses markers and an easel to draw them for Kiki and Kat. Kiki and Kat both take turns adding to the drawing the different shapes they noticed themselves. Using different shapes and lines to create the lady helped Kat to notice yet another way of creative the portrait.
Kiki, Kat, and Alexander continue to find new ways to view and create the lady until The Bigley’s arrive back home and they have to return the postcard.
The book has a wonderful illustrated glossary in the back that defines the concepts presented in the book, such as color, lines, patterns…etc. It also includes instructions on how to create your own postcard which would be an excellent way to incorporated the book into a meaningful activity.
Curriculum Connections
This book and its possible related activities relate wonderfully to the K.1 SOL which states that, Students will conduct observations by (a) using direct observation, (b) observations re made from various perspectives, (c) observations are described pictorially as well as verbally.
Additional Resources
- Nancy Elizabeth Wallace provides instructions on her website on how to create the viewing frame used in the story. Students could create these, decorate them if preferred and then hold them up to things they find/observe in their own classroom.
- The website teAchnology provides observation worksheets that help introduce the concept of observation. This may be a good follow-up challenge to add an interactive activity to a lesson about observation.
- This game helps kids learn how to recognize and complete patterns. More games are available here.
Book: Look! Look! Look!
Author/Illustrator: Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Collaborator: Linda K. Friedlaender
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children
Publication Date: March 2006
Pages: 40 Pages
Grade Range: K-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-7614-5282-9