

The Odd One Out
Spring 2014 Picture BooksOn each spread of this beautifully designed and illustrated book, there is a group of animals, who are all similar except for one that is different in a particular way—one flamingo has a raised leg, one turtle is hiding its head, and one lonely shrimp hides in a shoal of fish. A clever rhyme on each spread gives readers a clue as to who is the "odd one out." Teckentrup's verses add an element of storytelling to the hunt-and-find game, inviting readers to wonder why one seal has a fish in its mouth and the others do not, or why one small rhinoceros has decided to sit down instead of standing with the others. The animal design patterns are attractive and colorful. The animals who are presumably the "in" group, or at least not the "odd ones out," are nevertheless quite visually different from one another, providing plenty of variations to observe, and not only the one difference pointed out by the rhyme. In addition, they are simply beautiful to see and explore.