Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

In this playful guessing-game book about animal tongues, each recto of the digital illustrations shows a cartoony monkey with a tongue like the animal on the next page: "If you had a tongue like a whip, you might be an... / anteater!" Brief text then describes how that tongue is used. Final pages focus on human tongues. Readers will enjoy looking at tongues--including their own--in a new way.

Kirkus Reviews

Animal tongues are surprisingly versatile.This interactive introduction to a dozen animal tongues asks readers and listeners to stick out their own tongues and then imagine having a tongue like a sword, a straw, a nose, a mop…and so forth. Each page turn reveals the animal whose tongue has that look or function. An okapi has a tongue like a washcloth; an anteater has one like a whip; an octopus has two tongues; and "YOU" can "lick, taste, blow bubbles with gum, talk, and whistle." Digital illustrations depict the hypothetical "you" of the story as a cartoon monkey until the very end, where "you" becomes a girl with straight black hair and light brown skin. A paragraph of text below the reveal explains what the creature's tongue can do and how, and the creature is shown in a generalized natural context. Many species are specific (red-bellied woodpecker, Darwin's hawkmoth, North American bullfrog, giant anteater, mourning geckos, Pallas' long-tongued bat), but some are generic (snake, chameleon, dog). Some further information about these creatures' tongues and where they live around the world is provided in the backmatter, and there is a short list of other "fun tongues." Both concept and illustrations show the influence of Steve Jenkins' animal anatomies.Perfect for a group storytime, this is a useful addition to the wonders-of-animals shelf. (Informational picture book. 3-7)

School Library Journal (Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

PreS-Gr 3 An expressive monkey acts as a guide to the animal kingdom's most interesting tongues. Liu chooses the monkey's own mouth to illustrate, literally, the many things a tongue is similar tostraw, sword, nose, and mop. In each instance, Gianferrari's simple analogy appears in large font with a humorous illustration. "If you had a tongue like a sword, you might be a" In the first example, the monkey's tongue is actually a sword as he dukes it out with a fencer. On the following page, we discover the answer, "Woodpecker!" and see a rendering of a woodpecker in its natural habitat, its long pointed tongue stabbing underneath the bark of a tree. A short paragraph explaining the workings of the animal's tongue is embedded within the illustration. Readers will enjoy finding the monkey in each habitat, too. Eleven creatures are featured in similar fashion. Back matter offers greater detail and also explains the workings of the human tongue. The appealing cover and bright, cheery illustrations will capture the attention of even casual browsers. VERDICT A fine addition to early nonfiction collections. Lisa Taylor, Florida State College, Jacksonville