Books with title Close-Up Magic

Recognizing and labeling animals has never been so geometrically inspired! Young children will delight in the usual suspects (bunny, pig, frog, chicken, monkey, and lion) depicted in a whole new way. The elements of each zoomed-in face provide only a subtle hint of the animals’ identities, inviting children (and adults!) to stretch the boundaries of what defines an animal image. The simple question-and-answer format provides immediate gratification for even the shortest attention spans. Praise for Up Close STARRED REVIEW "Wegerif does a remarkable job of capturing each creature’s essence in a few simple shapes and bright nursery colors." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review "The text, written in a clear, blocky type, encourages a guessing game." ―Kirkus Reviews "In this inventive board book, colorful, abstract illustrations invite young listeners to participate in a guessing game. Recommended with extra enthusiasm for its ingenuity and high-quality art." ―School Library Journal

Recognizing and labeling animals has never been so geometrically inspired! Young children will delight in the usual suspects (bunny, pig, frog, chicken, monkey, and lion) depicted in a whole new way. The elements of each zoomed-in face provide only a subtle hint of the animals' identities, inviting children (and adults!) to stretch the boundaries of what defines an animal image. The simple question-and-answer format provides immediate gratification for even the shortest attention spans.

Invite the audience up close; they'll still never figure out how these easy tricks work. You can perform these magic tricks anytime, anywhere, under almost any conditions. Start with a can't-miss gambit, where you challenge your friends to pick the hand that holds the odd number of coins. Then try a classic; though it sounds like "a real stretch," it's a mere sleight of hand to make a handkerchief seem to get longer, and longer...and longer. Next, toss out five dice; ask a volunteer to shake them up, and then pile one on top of the other. Look away the whole time. Turn back, and shock everyone by naming the top numbers of every single one of the dice in the pile. How? You won't believe how simple it is. Plus: astonishing magic with math, hankies, cards, paper clips, and more!

Jimmy is mad about movies. He even thinks in film frames and he's finding his obsession a very useful way of blanking out his troubles with his mum and step-dad. His other distraction is his job at the coffee shop, working with Liz. Liz is having her own problems at home too but when Jimmy's estranged father turns up out of the blue, things get even more complicated. Liz's deep mistrust of Jimmy's father grows but will her concerns end up pushing Jimmy deeper into his father's dark and dangerous world?

Ideal for today's young investigative reader, each A True Book includes lively sidebars, a glossary and index, plus a comprehensive "To Find Out More" section listing books, organizations, and Internet sites. A staple of library collections since the 1950s, the new A True Book series is the definitive nonfiction series for elementary school readers.