Yummy Yucky
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Page Grabbers stage.
Why it fits Page Grabbers (for young toddlers who treat books as things to do)
Paired opposites - spaghetti yummy, worms yucky - with maximum giggles. Opposites are a toddler's first abstract idea, served here with perfect comic timing. The whole Patricelli shelf is worth owning.
What makes it special
Patricelli's genius is the toddler's own binary worldview, validated in print: everything is either yummy or yucky. Her bald, big-eyed baby delivers each verdict with billboard-scale expressions on flat color grounds. It's the fastest laugh-per-page ratio in board books, perfectly sized for a two-minute attention window.
About Leslie Patricelli
Leslie Patricelli writes and illustrates board books about opposites — Yummy Yucky, Big Little, Quiet Loud — following one diapered protagonist through life's small contradictions, in a bold graphic style.
The character came from her son Beck, who at one year old was constantly putting everything in his mouth. 'I found myself saying "Yummy!" and "Yucky!" all the time,' she has said. 'I began to draw a baby dramatically expressing his taste or distaste for the things he was eating. The idea of Yummy Yucky was born!'
Also by this author: Quiet Loud · Big Little · Tubby
More from “Point and Name”
This book is part of The Best Books for Toddlers: 30 Teacher Picks (Page Grabbers) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.