Akamaru-chan to Kuromaru-chan.
Chinese translation: Hong yuan yuan he hei yuan yuan / wen Shangye Yuzhi
By Ueno, Yoshi (auth); Muramatsu, Katsu (illus).
Child Honsha Co., Ltd. Chinese translation, 2005. 24 pp.
No author website. No illustrator website.
ISBN 957762400-6.
Preschool

Chinese translation of the Japanese picture book about two dots playing a game of imagination and transformation. In this fun book, the dots (one red and one black) remain the same but the surrounding picture changes as each dot tries to show his/her skills off. One becomes a spot of the wing of a butterfly and the other a spot on a ladybug, to the nose pig and eye of a gorilla, to cherry and tadpole, to spots of a cheetah and giraffe, until the last face off as a fire engine and train leading to the book's explosive conclusion. The forms are easily recognizable and the bright colors will appeal to young eyes. Each page has a hole which allows the dots to remain the same will also appeal to the young mind. This hole/ window adds to the fun as infants will try to solve the mystery of how the dot remains the same while everything else transforms. There is a perfect amount of predictability and the unpredictable (and simple but not simplistic) which makes it stimulating and enjoyable enough to be read more than once.

Akamaru-chan to Kuromaru-chan would be an effective board book. The illustrations would translate to the mind of a baby or toddler. The text is not overly complicated and is fun. The holes for the dots add an interactive component which will be a good attention getter. And, even though the dot remains the same, toddlers will enjoy seeking out the dot in the pictures. The subject matter is appropriate and not too complicated or abstract. Finally, the concepts are important.

What I like most about this book is that it encourages imagination. Interestingly, the competition is based on imagination as opposed to physical competition or other skill based competitions which are more commonly used in picture books. In addition, it encourages the imagination as babies/toddlers/infants do some early mental aerobics following these dots from page to page. It's nice to see books that encourage and celebrates the imagination.