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Opposites

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What's the opposite of ordinary? Eric Carle's Opposites! Unfold the full-page flaps to explore opposites with the art of Eric Carle. Short and tall, big and little, over and under!

16 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2007

4 people are currently reading
294 people want to read

About the author

Eric Carle

746 books2,448 followers
Eric Carle was an American author, designer and illustrator of children's books. His picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, first published in 1969, has been translated into more than 66 languages and sold more than 50 million copies. Carle's career as an illustrator and children's book author accelerated after he collaborated on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. Carle illustrated more than 70 books, most of which he also wrote, and more than 145 million copies of his books have been sold around the world.
In 2003, the American Library Association awarded Carle the biennial Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (now called the Children's Literature Legacy Award), a prize for writers or illustrators of children's books published in the U.S. who have made lasting contributions to the field. Carle was also a U.S. nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2010.

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5 stars
111 (35%)
4 stars
103 (32%)
3 stars
86 (27%)
2 stars
15 (4%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah Sammis.
7,944 reviews247 followers
January 6, 2008
Opposites is a new children's book by Eric Carle. This book is aimed at very young children as it teaches some fundamental opposites, all of them beautifully illustrated in Eric Carle's unique style.

Each pair of opposites is divided by a flap. Harriet and Sean both enjoy lifting the flap to see the second picture. The flaps, though, are a point of weakness in the book that can be prone to ripping during enthusiastic reading. I recommend only reading this book with parental supervision for the younger children.

The opposites taught in this book are:

* day / night
* up / down
* young / old
* short / long
* awake / asleep
* high / low
* wet / dry
Profile Image for Brittney.
22 reviews1 follower
Read
February 2, 2020
Text to self: This book reminds me when I was in the 1st grade and we learned new vocabulary. The vocabulary were about opposites. We had to know the meaning of the words as well as apply those words into sentences. Also, we had to tell how the words related to our everyday lives. To this day, I use dictonary.com to learn new vocabulary and I see a lot of opposite words that I've never seen or even heard of.
Profile Image for Emma Hansen.
55 reviews
October 7, 2019
Genre: Picture Book - Baby/board and interactive book
Awards: N/A
Audience: 0-4 years

A. The book has 14 pages and contains stunning illustrations with one word per two pages. The book also contains fold out pages that illustrate the opposite of the main vocabulary word.

B. Eric Carle combines bold colors with simplistic illustrations and utilizes texture to bring a level of detail to the illustrations. Because the book is intended for extremely young readers/children, the engaging illustrations are key to the book's effectiveness.

C. The book could be used with really young students (4 years maximum) because it utilizes simple vocabulary to teach the concept of opposite adjectives. A child who has developed reading skills would likely be bored by this book.

D. What creature is used to illustrate the adjective "short"? A caterpillar.
Profile Image for Andrea.
33 reviews1 follower
July 9, 2012
Eric Carle's Opposites
Written By: Eric Carle
Illustrated By: Eric Carle
Book type: Fable
Eric Carle's book “Opposites” shows on each page with very few words in this book. This book has full-page flaps to explore opposites, such as: Short and tall, big and little, over and under. The pages have no color for the background just the painted images of animals. Each page has a picture of the animal’s tail.
Learning extension for 5/7 years of age
Have the children make their own tails out of construction paper.

Profile Image for Courtney.
63 reviews5 followers
April 3, 2013
This flip-up book for young children conveys a ton of meaning within a very small number of words. Children will learn the difference between day and night, up and down, and young and old. All of these words are complemented with Eric Carle's highly addicting and brightly-colored illustrations.

I love this book! It is a perfect book for children to get involved in flipping each page up to find the opposites. Eric's "fun flaps" are truly a hit. I would recommend this book to all very young readers above age 3.
Profile Image for Hannah Falgout.
118 reviews
March 7, 2023
"Opposites" by: Eric Carle.
This book was just okay. The illustrations are beautiful, as all of Eric Carle's books are. This book is excellent for learning the opposites in school, but it is not a book a kid will want to read repeatedly. The book has one word on each page, like Day and a picture of the sun; then you flip the sun upward, and it says night with a picture of the moon. It has other opposites like short and long, awake and asleep, etc. I recommend this book for a classroom when learning opposites or a child who struggles to understand what opposites are; other than that not a super big fan of this book. The book is for young elementary and is an educational nonfiction book.
31 reviews
November 3, 2019
Great concept book. Due to the fact that once kids get this concept pretty quickly this book has a fairly short window of opportunity. Nonetheless, the wonderful collage art of Eric Carle makes his books a delight.
Profile Image for Wetdryvac.
Author 480 books5 followers
March 17, 2019
Eric Carle's art is always pretty nifty, and this book seems decent for a very young reader.
20 reviews
April 29, 2020
Audience: 0-4 years
Summary: Opposites is a new children's book by Eric Carle. This book is aimed at very young children as it teaches some fundamental opposites, all of them beautifully illustrated in Eric Carle's unique style.
A. The book has 14 pages and contains stunning illustrations with one word per two pages. The book also contains fold out pages that illustrate the opposite of the main vocabulary word.

B. Eric Carle combines bold colors with simplistic illustrations and utilizes texture to bring a level of detail to the illustrations. Because the book is intended for extremely young readers/children, the engaging illustrations are key to the book's effectiveness.

C. The book could be used with really young students (4 years maximum) because it utilizes simple vocabulary to teach the concept of opposite adjectives. A child who has developed reading skills would likely be bored by this book.

Profile Image for Abigail.
36 reviews2 followers
April 17, 2010
Ike is currently loving this book. Because he is systematically destroying its pages, I sometimes hide it, but he searches it out, which really impresses me. He LOVES the first two pages, day/night and up/down. He really wishes he could figure out this whole flap thing without destroying the book. At least I imagine so. Someday, kid, someday.
Profile Image for Candice.
58 reviews
August 14, 2009
For some reason unbeknownst to the parent, this book is captivating for toddlers. At least for mine currently :). In its favor, the illustrations are lovely as always and the simplicity of the wording is appealing. It's been in our bed time queue for quite a while.
95 reviews1 follower
January 17, 2015
I love the illustrations in this book! It has great opposites and teaches children this skill at a very young age. I like that its print is large and focuses attention on only one word and does not overwhelm children.
129 reviews
April 26, 2011
An easy and engaging read. The full pages are filled with Eric Carle magic. This is a fun and enjoyable book of opposites. A favorite of mine!
Profile Image for Julie.
574 reviews5 followers
March 16, 2014
An interactive book, very enjoyable for kids. Great artwork as usual, very colorful and clear illustrations.
Profile Image for Pita-eater.
242 reviews
May 4, 2014
Really just okay, but I felt like it was better than 2 stars.
50 reviews
May 8, 2015
A great story for learning about opposites. You can challenge the students to think of their own opposites-- what's the opposite of sit? Stand! Fun activities can be involved with this story.
Profile Image for Jessica.
1,199 reviews1 follower
November 19, 2015
I adore Eric Carle books! The illustrations, the simplicity. This book is great! Such unique ways to teach opposites.
Profile Image for Canette Arille.
Author 19 books78 followers
April 6, 2024
Picture book for children. Great for learning opposites. Easy to remember :)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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