Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?

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by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier. Picture Book. 32 pages. Grades PreK-3.
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Review

cover art

Reminiscent of some of Dr. Seuss's writing (such as One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish) this is a simple, but very pleasing, work. Befitting the text the illustrations also show Seuss's influence.

A young green duck has lost his socks. We know that he's a boy duck because, in spite of all the animals in the book being unclothed except for the duck's shoes, there is a pair of boys underwear flung out from the box in his room in which he first looks for his socks.

He goes out across the countryside asking the other animals for help in the familiar motif of many children's stories. "I will ask my friend the fox. 'Have you seen my new blue sox?'" This story is particularly charming and humorous.

Bunting and Ruzzier effectively reach their target audience with a young child's sense of humor and quirky illustrations. Good for early readers.

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Things to Talk About and Notice

  • There are details in the illustrations that reward a second close "reading." When do you first notice the edge of one of the previously hidden socks? What is in the framed photo on his bookshelf (a baby picture?)? The fox is eating grapes, is this an illusion to the fable of the fox and sour grapes? When he struts off in his new blue socks at the end of the book has he set himself up to loose track of his shoes next?

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