Hide-and-Seek: A First Book of Position Words

Illustrated by Sakshi Mangal
Text by R. D. Ornot

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-794-1

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

2019

A concept book teaches abstract ideas like numbers or colours or shapes. A great concept book tells a story with the teaching embedded. Regardless of the subtitle and words such as  "among" or "behind" or "through" being in bold font, Hide-and-Seek would still be a great little story about three friends playing a game.

From Hide-and-Seek, illus. by Sakshi Mangal, text by R. D. Ornot

Bear invites friends Fox and Owl to a game of hide-and-seek in a park's fabulous playground. When Fox has to seek out friends Bear and Owl, Fox has to look inside and outside a castle, and beside and in and on the playhouse slide. With the search completed, Bear hugs his friends. Similarly, Owl seeks out the other two at a climbing wall and a bench. Huggly Bear again gives Owl and Fox a friendly squeeze.

From Hide-and-Seek, illus. by Sakshi Mangal, text by R. D. Ornot

But when it's Bear's time to seek, he cannot find them between the swings, among the trees, through the tunnel, across the bridge or around the playground. Saddened and in need of a hug, Bear is surprised when his friends reveal themselves and offer up their own affectionate embrace.

R. D. Ornot's text covers 14 positional words from the simplest of "in" and "out" to the more complex like "through" and "between," and still gives us a story of friendship and play. It's heartfelt fun between three characters who differ in their personalities and hiding and seeking behaviours, making Hide-and-Seek a different kind of story of diversity but with the lightest of touches. Sakshi Mangal's strongly outlined characters and setting elements are perfect for our youngest of readers, while still giving them loads of details in the park playground. Her use of colour energizes the very simple hide-and-seek text generally using a more reserved autumnal palette of greens and golds and saving the bold turquoises and reds for the friends.

From Hide-and-Seek, illus. by Sakshi Mangal, text by R. D. Ornot

Have some fun with your little ones with the reading of Hide-and-Seek and a game of the same to explore some playful learning about the concept of position.