Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review In clear, beautiful photo-essays, five small children of various ethnic groups show how their five senses work in daily life. The simple captions are in the first person. With my eyes a child sees herself in the mirror and then she sees her shadow, her dog, her city. Another child smells flowers, nuzzles a horse, and buries her nose in popcorn; then, in a funny reversal, she holds her nose and screws up her face as she picks up some stinking pizza from the garbage. With my ears, a boy hears his baby brother cry, holds his ears for a fire engine, plays the piano, bends close to whisper secrets. The same kind of sequences is used for touch and taste. This works extremely well as a first concept book because the ideas are explained with physical examples, one sense at a time, and the pictures have action, character, and surprise. Kids will want to talk about the photos and discover how their senses bring them joy. (Reviewed June 1994)

Horn Book

Five attractive preschoolers of different races narrate this simple photographic survey of sensory activities. In a succession of four-page sequences, each child engages in a variety of experiences that demonstrate each of the senses. The clear, uncluttered design is effective and inviting in this beautifully conceived and executed book.

Kirkus Reviews

Another intelligently crafted offering for the youngest from an exceptionally creative photographer. A multicultural array of four girls and a boy introduce the five senses. Each child explores the potential range of one sense in four appealing color photos explicated in the simplest of texts (With my nose I smell popcorn,/a horse,/flowers,/and garbage.''With my ears I hear my baby brother,/a fire engine,/my piano,/and whispered secrets''). Expertly composed photos show kids who are almost always happy (except for an appropriate grimace when, for example, medicine doesn't taste good), glowing with the pleasure of discovering their world. An excellent concept book. (Picture book. 2-6)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Turning the pages of Miller's elegantly simple photo-essay is like freshly experiencing all five senses,"""" said PW of this cheerful series of children's portraits celebrating sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures. Ages 2-4. (July)

School Library Journal (Tue Feb 28 00:00:00 CST 2023)

PreS-K-Slight in text, but often visually striking, this book introduces the subject through photographs of five children, each of a different race or ethnicity. An African-American girl looks at herself, her shadow, her dog, and her city, each illustrated with a full-color photograph of her interacting with the topic at hand. The pattern is repeated by each child: with my nose I smell popcorn, a horse, flowers, and garbage. With my mouth I taste...'' Finally, readers are told,With our five senses, we enjoy our world.'' While some of the pictures seem staged, they depict experiences common to many children of this age, and are sure to provoke discussion. The book is in the same vein as Aliki's My Five Senses (Crowell, 1989) and Henry Pluckrose's ``Think About'' series (Watts), all of which essentially offer visual images, making no attempt to explain how or why the senses work. As such, this title is an additional purchase for collections serving young children.-Denise L. Moll, Lone Pine Elementary School, West Bloomfield, MI