Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar

Lucy the kitten thought she knew how to do everything, from eating with a knife and fork to painting elephants. All of her friends consulted her, when unsure themselves how something should be done. Then Toshi the panda moved into the neighborhood, and had his own way of doing things - an unfamiliar way. Lucy was convinced he was doing everything wrong, until the day he disarmed her with an unexpected gift, and she learned that there was sometimes more than one way to do things...

Only the second picture-book from author/artist Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar, That's Not How You Do It! pairs an engaging and instructive tale about learning to accept cultural differences with cute, colorful artwork. I really liked Hofmann-Maniyar's color scheme here, and enjoyed the pages at the front and rear showing Lucy and Toshi engaging in all sorts of activities. Recommended to children who think they know everything (this probably describes a lot of us, when we were young, and things seemed simple!), as well as to anyone searching for children's stories about cross-cultural friendship.… (mehr)

Generally, I've found I prefer Child's Play's board books to their picture books, but this one fills a niche very nicely and has adorable illustrations as well.

When Ice's mother tells her they are moving to a land far away, Ice is not happy. She is scared and worried about leaving all her friends. Her new home is very hot and strange and she doesn't understand anything the other children say. The other children make some overtures, but Ice is overwhelmed by the differences in her new home. Only when her new school makes an effort to understand where she comes from does Ice start feeling at home and settling in.

The illustrations have a friendly, warm feeling with rich colors and thick lines. The facial expressions of most of the animals, except for Ice, are limited but that keeps the emphasis on Ice's emotions and struggles to settle in to her new home.

Verdict: This is a sweet read-aloud on its own, but it would also make the perfect story to read to children welcoming a new classmate or getting ready for their own move. It's a gentle introduction to empathizing with someone who comes from a different culture or background and, although simplistic, is at a good level for preschool children to understand. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781846437311; Published 2015 by Child's Play; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library… (mehr)