Sort It Out! by Barbara Mariconda

From the Publisher

Packy the Packrat's mother has had enough! It's time that he sorts through his ever-growing collection of trinkets and puts them away. Told in rhyme, the text leads the reader to participate in the sorting process by categorizing Packy's piles of things according to like characteristics and attributes. The reader response is worked into the rhyme, building a sense of anticipation. The illustrations include a humorous subplot about Packy's sister, who enjoys pilfering some of his things for her own enjoyment. Children will relate to the idea of having a collection of favorite objects and the satisfaction that comes from examining and admiring these collectibles. The story promotes and reinforces analogous thinking-a critical thinking skill in math, science, and life. In the supplemental activity section at the back of the book, the reader can explore even more attributes and characteristics of objects, including color, size, texture, shape, and material.

Children's Literature

Packy the Packrat faces the problem of sorting out his pile of "stuff" in this delightful, rhyming book that is sure to grab the attention of youngsters. Watching Packy group things in different ways reinforces the concept of sorting, which is an important skill for young children. As gatherers of "stuff," young listeners will easily relate to Packy's dilemma of cleaning up. Colorful, amusing illustrations add to the text to make this a book children will want to look at over and over. The rhyming text is easy to follow and will allow listeners to participate during repeated readings. What readers won't expect, but will enjoy, is the surprise ending in which Packy's sister makes off with some of his good loot to have a tea party of her own. Excellent end-of-book activities include a hidden picture exercise, a sorting, categorizing, and classifying card game, a chart to sort like scientists do and a writing suggestion. This book is well worth adding to preschool and early grade shelves to reinforce science, math and language lessons. Reviewer: Nancy Garhan Attebury

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2

When Pack rat comes home with a cart full of stuff-a locket, a book, an umbrella, a pinecone, and many more random items-his mother admonishes him to sort it all out and put it away. Packy does just that, cleverly sorting things with like characteristics such as where they're found, their color, shape, etc. Children who like to collect may be inspired to bring some order to their own assortments. The illustrations are brightly colored, large, and very clear. Careful readers will notice a subplot in the pictures and find satisfaction in seeing its resolution on the final page. In addition, the rhyming text prompts them to guess the word that defines each collection. Back matter has activities to extend the experience. Most collections would benefit from this simple entry into the world of mathematics.-Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA

Product Details