Review: Who's New by Cindy Helms

WHO'S NEW?

by Cindy Helms

Set Free Publishing

Picture Book

ages 3+

40 pages

Someone new is moving to Ponderville! Everyone is curious to see who it could be. See how Birdie and his friends track down and reveal Who’s New. Find out just how well the new-comer will fit in

MY TIDBITS

This is a fun twist on recognizing shapes and playing an art orientated type of guessing game, while entering a sweet town named Ponderville.

There's someone new in the town of Ponderville, but Birdie and his friends have no idea who it is. So they begin their search. Through cute illustrations, they compare a shadow picture with various citizens of Ponderville until the find the matching 'shape'.

There's a ton of fantasy and color in the illustrations, exactly the kind to lure kids in. The characters are peculiar and comical, making each one a distinct delight. I especially enjoyed the shadow shapes (and not easy ones by any means) and how they're used to distinguish whether a character is the one being searched for or not. 

The text is simple enough, and the book can be used either as a read-aloud or to be read alone. I did find the beginning a little difficult, since I haven't read the first book in the series, OUTSIDE, INSIDE and wasn't familiar with any of the characters.  So I'd definitely start with the other book before diving into this one.

All about Cindy Helms!

Cindy Helms is a visual artist, author and illustrator known for designing unusual projects. For Cindy, art is created from curious and whimsical combinations of shapes, textures and colors. In her unique and simple children’s books, Cindy’s art work comes to life in characters that enchant children and adults alike. Cindy lives in the Denver, CO area with two artistic boys and two fat black cats. She loves road trips, camping and discovering new places.

Here is her link to her Amazon page

http://amzn.to/1UYPNgl

And then this is her website:

http://www.cindyhelms.com/