Hands Can

Cheryl Willis Hudson is the author of a dozen books for children, including Bright Eyes, Brown Skin (coauthored with Bernette G. Ford) and Come by Here, Lord: Everyday Prayers for Children. She says that Hands Can was inspired by her own children. "I was amazed by the versatility, dexterity, utility, and even gracefulness of such small fingers," she says. "I began to see hands as marvelous works of art, and I wanted to somehow capture that vision in a children’s book."John-Francis Bourke was born in Dublin, Ireland, and now works in New York City. His photographs have been published in GQ, TV Guide, ESPN The Magazine, Nick Jr., Parenting, and Parents. He says, "Photographing people provides me with a constant stream of new faces, new words, new conversation - it never gets old. Photographing children gives you all that, plus innocence and curiosity. Wonderful!" This is his first book for children.

This inviting offering provides youngsters with an almost sensory experience in which they can appreciate how their hands help them to explore and interact with their world.—School Library JournalIn HANDS CAN by Cheryl Villis Hudson, photos by John-Francis Bourke, a simple rhyming text and crisp photos of toddlers depict a number of activities to inspire youngsters to discover the world with their own hands.—Publishers WeeklyThe book's loose structure, open-ended topic, and eye-catching photos leave plenty of space for conversation between young children and those who read aloud to them, a real plus in books for the very young.—BooklistThe preschoolers portrayed are young enough that their motions are still not self-conscious and are chubbily short of precision, gently touching all they meet, readers included.—Chicago TribuneChildren are sure to reach for this book again and again.—Scholastic Parent & Child