ALA Booklist

Clear, colorful photos give this picture book its great child-appeal; toddlers and preschoolers use their hands in so many ways--waving, catching, throwing, clapping, playing peek-a-boo. Unlike the stiffly posed models too often seen in books illustrated with photographs, the children of this multicultural cast look completely engaged in their activities. Hudson's rhythmic, rhyming text bounces along in a satisfying way, tying the pictured activities to the theme of hands. The book's loose structure, open-ended topic, and eye-catching photos leave plenty of space for conversation between young children and those who read aloud to them, a real plus in books for the very young.

Horn Book

"Hands can wave / to say 'hello.' / Hands can touch things / HIGH and low. / Hands can learn / to tie a shoe. / Hands can say, / 'I love you.'" The banal rhymes don't always scan, but the book's large, candid-looking color photos, set on inviting solid-color screens, of young children digging, clapping, and otherwise acting out the text are appealing.

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

In Hands Can by Cheryl Willis Hudson, photos by John-Francis Bourke, a simple rhyming text and crisp photos of toddlers depict a number of activities to inspire youngsters to discover the world with their own hands. Beginning """"Hands can wave to say `hello.'/ Hands can touch things high and low,"""" a multiracial cast of characters fold and mold, mix and fix, all against solid-colored backgrounds.

School Library Journal

PreS-Rich, full-color photographs illustrate the variety of fine and gross motor activities in which hands become engaged. "Hands can catch/and hands can throw./Hands can plant seeds in a row." Vibrant solid colors, which change at random, frame each photograph. All of the ethnically diverse children pictured are engaged in and intent on their activity. Bourke captures the action without making the scenes seem staged. The rhyming text sets the scene, focusing on age-appropriate activities such as tying a shoe or playing "Peekaboo." The book opens with a wave "hello" and ends perfectly with a friendly "Bye-bye." This inviting offering provides youngsters with an almost sensory experience in which they can appreciate how their hands help them to explore and interact with their world.-Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.