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Jane Brocket's Clever Concepts
Spiky, Slimy, Smooth: What Is Texture?
Soft, gooey, fluffy, prickly―textures are all around us. What clever words will you use to describe the textures pictured in this book? Jane Brocket's appealing photography and simple, whimsical text give a fresh approach to a topic all young children learn about.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published August 1, 2010
1 person is currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Jane Brocket
41 books27 followers[From the author's website:]
My first book The Gentle Art of Domesticity was published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 2007. My second book Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer was published by Hodder & Stoughton in July 2008 and my third book with Hodder Ripping Things to Do was published in July 2009. September 2008 saw the publication in the USA of The Gentle Art of Domesticity by STC Crafts/Melanie Falick Books.
The Gentle Art of Quilt-making was published by Collins & Brown in Spring 2010. It is also published in the US by C&T Publishing (http://www.ctpub.com), in Australia by Penguin, and in a Dutch language edition by Veltman Uitgevers BV.
I am also the creator of the yarnstorm blog. I set up yarnstorm in February 2005 in order to write about knitting but the subject matter soon expanded to include quilting, baking, gardening, colour, inspiration, books, paintings and films (in fact, all the good things in domestic life). I am now blogging at the new jane brocket blog at www.yarnstorm.blogs.com/jane_brocket
I live with my husband Simon and our three children in Berkshire.
My first book The Gentle Art of Domesticity was published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 2007. My second book Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer was published by Hodder & Stoughton in July 2008 and my third book with Hodder Ripping Things to Do was published in July 2009. September 2008 saw the publication in the USA of The Gentle Art of Domesticity by STC Crafts/Melanie Falick Books.
The Gentle Art of Quilt-making was published by Collins & Brown in Spring 2010. It is also published in the US by C&T Publishing (http://www.ctpub.com), in Australia by Penguin, and in a Dutch language edition by Veltman Uitgevers BV.
I am also the creator of the yarnstorm blog. I set up yarnstorm in February 2005 in order to write about knitting but the subject matter soon expanded to include quilting, baking, gardening, colour, inspiration, books, paintings and films (in fact, all the good things in domestic life). I am now blogging at the new jane brocket blog at www.yarnstorm.blogs.com/jane_brocket
I live with my husband Simon and our three children in Berkshire.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 27, 2019
A great book about texture - lots of large photographs and fantastic descriptions.
I read a few pages, but not all the pages during storytime.
2019 storytime theme: sticky
I read a few pages, but not all the pages during storytime.
2019 storytime theme: sticky
December 30, 2023
Great book for explaining the sense of feeling—texture.
January 26, 2011
**Provided by NetGalley/Publisher for honest review**
I must say that Texture is a very hard subject to talk about sometimes, particularly with ESL/Second Language learners who have very little experience with vocabulary. Also my students also seem to have little back ground other than with simple texture vocabulary. Words like smooth, hard, and soft are easy to come up with but harder or more descriptive and juicy words are not as common (aha I used a texture word!)
I loved the bright colorful pictures in this book because they chose for the most part pictures that were easy to see the textures and used mostly everyday objects. They were also close up but you could still identify with what it was. I only had 2 complaints: with the butterfly they really couldn't tell why it was powdery from the picture and when they talked about the watermelon's skin and inside they only showed the outside of an unusual looking watermelon or at least angle of the shot (round watermelon with no stripes). Some kids may not have seen the inside of a watermelon before to know that it is juicy. However with both of these you can bring in additional pictures to supplement this. Not a major distraction or problem.
I also loved the vocabulary that described the textures and explain why it was that texture. Usually they gave 2 words too which was even better! Since it is very vocabulary rich I would use it as a read aloud for all levels and for individual reading on their own for possibly high 2nd grade or 3-5 grade.
I sure wished I had this book when I taught summer school to ESL/Bilingual Science students! I really had a hard time coming up with a book that had great pictures as well as vocabulary. This book will be highly recommended for that as well as any grade that talks about texture in science or writing!
I must say that Texture is a very hard subject to talk about sometimes, particularly with ESL/Second Language learners who have very little experience with vocabulary. Also my students also seem to have little back ground other than with simple texture vocabulary. Words like smooth, hard, and soft are easy to come up with but harder or more descriptive and juicy words are not as common (aha I used a texture word!)
I loved the bright colorful pictures in this book because they chose for the most part pictures that were easy to see the textures and used mostly everyday objects. They were also close up but you could still identify with what it was. I only had 2 complaints: with the butterfly they really couldn't tell why it was powdery from the picture and when they talked about the watermelon's skin and inside they only showed the outside of an unusual looking watermelon or at least angle of the shot (round watermelon with no stripes). Some kids may not have seen the inside of a watermelon before to know that it is juicy. However with both of these you can bring in additional pictures to supplement this. Not a major distraction or problem.
I also loved the vocabulary that described the textures and explain why it was that texture. Usually they gave 2 words too which was even better! Since it is very vocabulary rich I would use it as a read aloud for all levels and for individual reading on their own for possibly high 2nd grade or 3-5 grade.
I sure wished I had this book when I taught summer school to ESL/Bilingual Science students! I really had a hard time coming up with a book that had great pictures as well as vocabulary. This book will be highly recommended for that as well as any grade that talks about texture in science or writing!
June 23, 2012
Spiky, Slimy, Smooth: What Is Texture? by Jane Brocket looks at objects featuring a variety of textures that feel different.
Photographs of objects up close clearly show different textures. Among objects pictured are slippers, frosted cake, jam, mud, flower heads, powdered cookies, cactus, pebbles, candy wrappers, watermelon, squash, oily tomatoes, raw eggs, lettuce, apples, snow, pipes, tiles, blankets, quilts, appricots, peaches, butterflies, brushes, bricks & stones, candy, old leaves and ribbons.
Brocket's text highlights the textures pictured using descriptive vocabulary words like soft, fluffy, spongy, sticky, gooey, oozy, dry, papery, spiky, sharp, pointy, smooth, shiny, curvy, lumpy, slippery, slidy, wobbly, runny, slidy, firm, crunchy, light, crinkly, crisp, hard, cool, squishy, wooly, fuzzy, dusty, fluttery, bristly, scratchy, rough, melting, and crackly. Texture words are highlighted in color.
Use of a large font makes this easier for students to read. It also helps those reading this aloud to younger children, who will appreciate the large photos that make this a strong group read-aloud choice. Incorporating a few real objects for children to touch would make use of this book even more effective. The author's challenge for readers to find and describe the textures around them is an excellent ending. This useful concept book is recommended for school and public library collections.
For ages 4 to 9, texture, five-senses, discovery, non-fcition, read-aloud, storytime, vocabulary, photographs, and fans of Jane Brocket.
Photographs of objects up close clearly show different textures. Among objects pictured are slippers, frosted cake, jam, mud, flower heads, powdered cookies, cactus, pebbles, candy wrappers, watermelon, squash, oily tomatoes, raw eggs, lettuce, apples, snow, pipes, tiles, blankets, quilts, appricots, peaches, butterflies, brushes, bricks & stones, candy, old leaves and ribbons.
Brocket's text highlights the textures pictured using descriptive vocabulary words like soft, fluffy, spongy, sticky, gooey, oozy, dry, papery, spiky, sharp, pointy, smooth, shiny, curvy, lumpy, slippery, slidy, wobbly, runny, slidy, firm, crunchy, light, crinkly, crisp, hard, cool, squishy, wooly, fuzzy, dusty, fluttery, bristly, scratchy, rough, melting, and crackly. Texture words are highlighted in color.
Use of a large font makes this easier for students to read. It also helps those reading this aloud to younger children, who will appreciate the large photos that make this a strong group read-aloud choice. Incorporating a few real objects for children to touch would make use of this book even more effective. The author's challenge for readers to find and describe the textures around them is an excellent ending. This useful concept book is recommended for school and public library collections.
For ages 4 to 9, texture, five-senses, discovery, non-fcition, read-aloud, storytime, vocabulary, photographs, and fans of Jane Brocket.
February 19, 2016
This book has truly wonderful photo illustrations that do a fabulous job of emphasizing the concept of texture, and giving a powerful visual to the vocabulary in the book. The book is stuffed with vocabulary, and I like that it gives the words for both the concrete object in the photo (slippers), and then words for several abstract concepts about texture (soft and fluffy), followed by even more words that help describe those abstracts (tickle and warm). The sentences are informative, but brief--just enough to get the point across without losing it in excess wordiness. This book provides great opportunities for conversation with children about what they see in the pictures, and how it relates to real-life experiences that they have had (Do you have a fluffy pair of slippers at home? What do they look like? How do they feel?). Because of the length of the book, I think it would be most appropriate for preschoolers, or it would be okay to modify the book by perhaps skipping some pages, or ad-libbing to make the text a little shorter for a younger audience who might get restless before the end of this one.
March 28, 2011
This book discusses the plethora of textures all around us in a fun and colorful way. This is a picture book like no other because once we are shown the pictures, the words following describe what that specific texture feels like. The photography is amazing! The pictures really pop and will capture the attention of its readers. After every picture, we're given a description of how the item feels. I really loved that the author did that because not all children are exposed to the things in the book. Some children grow up never knowing what snow feels like, so I appreciated how descriptive the author is. At the end of the book the author challenges it's readers to discover the textures of things around them and to creatively come up with words to describe them. I really like how it encourages children to be creative.
July 25, 2011
Non-fiction picture books, when done well, are a treasure. And this one is a treasure.
The photographs are worthy of the greats of picture book non-fiction-- people like Margaret Miller,Tana Hoban and Bruce McMillan. The textures positively POP on the pages and the text words are perfectly chosen to evoke sensations. I am off to check if there are more books available in this series which is entitled, most deservedly, "Jane Brocket's Clever Concepts".
The photographs are worthy of the greats of picture book non-fiction-- people like Margaret Miller,Tana Hoban and Bruce McMillan. The textures positively POP on the pages and the text words are perfectly chosen to evoke sensations. I am off to check if there are more books available in this series which is entitled, most deservedly, "Jane Brocket's Clever Concepts".
November 16, 2013
This book's lush photo close-ups will inspire readers to spend a whole afternoon (or preschool class) together exploring amazing textures. A solid preschool-level intro packed with good vocab ("Look at all these different squash! Some are plain and smooth. Some are knobbly and warty. And some are curvy and lumpy"..."Raw eggs are wobbly and runny and slimy". Read it, then touch ALL the things!
June 4, 2011
Beautiful book -- the pictures are amazing! You can almost feel them with her descriptions. I was hoping this might be a series (based on the title) and I see there is supposed to be one about colors later this year. Excellent introduction to the sense of touch for the younger set!
March 27, 2012
Introduces the concept of texture and how it can be determined through touch, and identifies objects with different types of textures, including fluffy slippers, sticky jam, and spiky cacti.
Note: Provides great photograph illustrations.
Note: Provides great photograph illustrations.
April 28, 2011
Excellent photos, good variety of textures represented (many that could be found in one's immediate environment), good descriptive language used to describe the different textures! LOVE this book!
July 26, 2011
great colorful texture pictures
July 29, 2011
The photography and design of this book are beautiful, and there aren't many (or any?) other good books explaining texture to young kids.
October 14, 2011
An inviting exploration of the sense of touch. You'll want to taste the foods too - cake, apricots, melons. Large photos work well for sharing with a group.
December 22, 2011
A great concept book full of fun vocabulary for describing how things feel.
August 26, 2016
Illustrated with amazing colour photographs, this is a wonderful introduction to the concept of texture.
Want to Read
August 11, 2012This would be good for storytime and bring in some of the items.
May 3, 2015
a book about the feel of different objects around kids everyday lives. Okay but didn't grab me like others from this author.
June 16, 2022
The pictures are great and I'm a fan of the descriptive language but it doesn't really seem to be texture specific...it starts there and then goes to the other sense. Maybe that isn't a bad thing.
January 26, 2016
Simple, conversational text with wonderful, crisp, colorful photos present all sorts of textures.
November 1, 2016
Great photographs and fun words help children learn about texture.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews