TouchThinkLearn: Homes

by Xavier Deneux

Featuring spreads with raised, shaped objects that fit into scooped cutouts on their opposite page, TouchThinkLearn books offer the youngest learners an opportunity to explore in a hands-on, multisensory way. Seeing the image, tracing its shape, saying its name—these modes of perception combine to stimulate understanding of essential concepts. Discover a polar bear by tracing its raised outline on one side, and the concave shape of its cozy den on the other! Related words on each spread offer a springboard for further conversation to encourage the language skills crucial to later successful learning. In a format unlike any other, these groundbreaking books translate abstract thought into tangible knowledge.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

16 pages, Hardcover

First published March 8, 2016

About the author

Xavier Deneux studied at Beaux-Arts de Paris. He has worked as a graphic artist, creating posters and decorations for various industries, and has illustrated more than forty children's books. He lives and works in Paris, France.

Reviews

[Anna Fillmore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited when I started to look at the "touch think learn" series by Xavier Deneux, and am still excited by excellent way the series incorporates touch with little vignettes that encourage lots of conversation between little ones and adults, and how each vignette contains a list of rich vocabulary as an aid to the adults for creating really great conversations.

However, "Homes" contains a number of problems that really are deal breakers, especially for an American audience. But really, they should be deal breakers for any audience. The most egregious problem is it's approach to ethnicity. All characters are white (*sigh* come on! We all know that there are people of color in France! Get with the program, Mr. Deneux and your publishers), except for the character inside of an igloo. Because of this, the overall effect is one of exoticism. People of color apparently don't live in apartment buildings or go camping or pretend to live in a castle, they live in igloos.

The camping spread also is problematic, for other reasons. The spread features the exterior of an old fashioned tent on one page, and the interior on the facing page with a child, flashlight, and shadow of a wolf. If this is a depiction of camping, which I think it is, the inclusion of a wolf does not do the child or parent any favors. Little children's fears are powerful, and do not necessarily respond to rational explanation (as opposed to adult fears, which of course are very rational :) Picture books are important and powerful! The depiction of a wolf inside the tent with a child is very scary, and could live in that child's mind for years. The age that this book is designed for cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality as well as an 8 year old can. Camping is great fun for families. There is no need to introduce imaginary fears into the picture. I also wish that the tent depicted was the type that children would actually encounter in their lives, rather than a clip art idea of what a tent is.

[Patricia Gmitrovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of texture and vocab

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A board book with clever cutouts that fit into the next page. each two page spread features a type of homes and descritive words about it's uniqness including residents. toddler and up

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good one for the very young, around age 1. The kids liked tracing the pictures with their fingers.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting approach to homes for a very early reader
engaging pages
very simplistic
recommended for a three year old program

[Ayunisashiro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overpriced! :")

[Andrés · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why would a book have cutouts and nothing that can be lifted or manipulated? Very frustrating read for a toddler.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Homes come in very different sizes, and in this board book, they range from a castle to a lighthouse to a tree house. Part of a series that combines touching with learning as young readers touch objects and then recognize words associated with those objects, this one will keep their attention. The left-hand side of each page has a dwelling place that has been cut from the right-hand page. Since there are eight different houses along with associated words to explore, young readers will be able to expand their knowledge of what comes to mind when they see the word "homes." This approach is terrific for its intended audience and sure to add to youngsters' knowledge while enhancing their curiosity about the world around them.

[Katrina Dombrowsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a unique, pretty little board book! I love that the images are solid, sturdy cut-outs that show both the outside (raised cutout) and the inside (indented cutout) of the homes, inviting the reader to explore the images not only with their eyes but with their fingers as well. The clumps of words relating to the different homes on each page are a great suggestion to the grown-up to share in a conversation about the pictures, introducing unusual words and concepts that will probably be new to little ones, like "wielding," "perching," "lantern," and "hammock."