I came across this whilst looking up reference for a work-related project, and just couldn't resist the artwork. Barbara Cooney's illustrations are lovely, black and white with that pop of red... I also loved all the little details in the drawings. ( )

"Where Have You Been?" by Margaret Wise Brown and pictures by Leo and Diane Dillion

Summary:
In the picturebook "Where Have You Been?" an owl is asking several animals where they have been. Some of the animals include, a cat, a squirrel, and a mole. Each of the animals would tell the owl where they have been, and the owl would write down where each animal has been. At the end of the book a rook looks at the book that the owl has been writing, it turns out to be the book the reader is reading.

Reaction:
I thought this book was difficult to understand, until I thought about the story after I read it. The story reminded me of when I was in kindergarten and I wondered why my parents would leave me at school.I thought the idea of the owl writing the book that the reader was reading was clever. i really enjoyed the pictures of all the animals. This book uses the literary element of rhyming throughout the book.

Extension Ideas:
1.The book can be used to teach rhyme scheme.
2.The teacher can have students pick a character from the book and come
up with a rhyme about that character.
3.The teacher could have students pick an animal not in the book and come
up with a rhyming story about the animal they came up with.

Genre: Fantasy Modern Fantasy
Age Appropriateness: Primary
Media: unknown
Review/Critique:
An owl goes around and asks where common everyday animals go and what they do. The verses rhyme and the pictures are beautiful depictions of what the animals do on a day to day basis, but in a fictional form.

This is good fantasy fiction because the characters are animals and they all communicate with each other. Also, while the words are pretty accurate of what the animals do, the pictures personify their actions.

Impulse grab at the library. Not one of either Brown's or the Dillon's best efforts, but maybe children would get more out of it than I did. It seemed mostly cliched to me. I did like the Mole's page, and even more the Lion's, but they didn't save the book imo. ( )

(easy, poetry). Old wise owl questions his animal friends about their day. Though I am a MWB fan, I did not enjoy this book as well as her others. It would appeal to the younger set for it's simplistic rhyming, but as far as necessary elements in a story there are none. This is to be expected from an early year picture book to some degree, but I found this to be lacking as far as having none. I guess you could say the only element it had was plot and that was a limited one at that. The one saving grace in my opinion for this book is the beautiful illustrations; very classic old time "mother goose"style. ( )