All About Patterns [All About Noticing]
by Elizabeth Rusch; illus. by Elizabeth Goss
Preschool, Primary    Charlesbridge    32 pp.
4/25    9781623543549    $17.99
e-book ed.  9781632893253    $9.99

Rusch and Goss (All About Nothing, rev. 3/23) explore the playfulness of patterns. What is a pattern, they ask? Anything that repeats “over and over again.” Familiar objects such as LEGO bricks, pretzels, and striped candies populate the beginning pages, demonstrating that repetition. From the spiraling curls covering a child’s head to the ripples surrounding the legs of a dog standing in water, viewers’ eyes can spot at least one pattern on each spread. Patterns can be found all around, the book argues, but they can be made, too; our hands, feet, and bodies can create patterns as we clap and dance. Shifting from visual patterns to more abstract ones, the book proceeds to consider the patterns found in music, storytelling, and even the routines that make up children’s days. But what happens when a pattern is broken and our expectations fall to the wayside? A new baby may wreak havoc on an older child’s daily pattern, for example, but new patterns can always be built. This striking and inviting series installment will resonate both visually and emotionally with young readers as they consider the order of their world in a new way. Back matter expands upon patterns found in art. Worth repeating, indeed.

From the ">May/June 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.