Same, Same by Marthe Jocelyn & Tom Slaughter

Published in 2009, Same, Same is a wonderful "concept" book by Marthe Jocelyn, Tom Slaughter (illustrator) and Tundra Press. The simple and bold drawings are in baby and toddler friendly colors, and the composition of the book allows for years of use -- older baby thru early-preschool (1 to 3 years) -- which is something I love.

The format is consistent throughout. On the first of two paired pages the space is divided in half and shows two items, while on the opposite page there is one very large drawing. The large item then appears as part of the next set.

If you look at the image to the right you will see the group "round things". For those of you who can't get the image because you've using a text only device, the items that are shown are a red apple, the earth as seen from space, and a tamborine. The tamborine then appears as part of the next group, "things that make music."

It's the grouping and re-grouping that I think really makes this book stand out from other concept books. Having a bee be part of "things that fly", for example, as well as "striped things" gives toddlers something extra to think about-- that things can belong to more than one set or class (A Math Concept!). I think it's a great idea to introduce these concepts to children when they are young, when they can be readily grasped.

Considerations:::
Bright kid-friendly colors are going to be popular with the younger set. The simple, clearly defined images are one's even babies will like, and I'm going to recommend Same, Same as a book for the home shelves. (And you know how few books reach this level of approval.) I recommend it so highly (to those of you with babies and/or toddlers) because I really like the fact that there is so much to learn from this book. You can start out teaching babies about colors and the names of things like apples and fish. Then with toddlers and early preschoolers you can discuss numbers, shapes, 'class, grouping, and classification' --math facts!

The simple words can also be used as practice reading.