Press Here is Herve Tullet's narrative of color and shape. Originally published in France under the title Un Livre (translation: A Book) in 2010, Tullet's english translation first appeared on U.S. bookshelves in 2011. At the turn of every page, the reader is asked to interact with the colored dot/dots that contrast a static background. The actions of the reader direct the outcome that appears on the following page. Tapping on the yellow dot five times, for example, will create 5 new yellow dots on the next page. As the book progresses, the tasks become varied and the outcomes are truly exciting.
Tullet creates a visual screenplay using acrylic paint that occasionally is marked by his own fingers. Red, yellow, blue, black and white restrict Tullet's palate to bright, childlike color. The characters of this book are the colors that Tullet has explicitly choreographed. Movement and light are the influences that create a theme within the text. Not intended to be a read-aloud, Press Here was designed to put in the hands of a young learner. "The single touch of a finger sparks a whimsical dance of color and motion in this joyful celebration of the power of imagination," boasts Tullet. This sentiment expressed by the author is foundational to the continued efforts of children's authors to spark life-long literacy. However, the text in Press Here is inaccessible to the desired audience. "Fabulous! Five quick tapes on the yellow...There. Well done. Now tilt the page to the left...just to see what happens." The transformation of shape and color within this book is gripping, yet the language is far beyond the average primary student. Press Here, in my opinion, would not be exciting in a 5th grade classroom. Primary learners would love this book, yet they would not be able to understand the complicated expressions. I was extremely excited to find a book with color and movement, imagining students jumping up and down to manipulate the colors and turning to the next page only to see that they have changed. I am disappointed, though, that those children are unable to access the language to follow the directions.
That's really unfortunate and disappointing that the text of such a potentially fun book for younger students is beyond their reading ability. It sounds like a fascinating idea otherwise, and the pictures, from what you've described, sound fantastic! I wonder if the translation from French caused that problem, or if a similar problem exists in the French text as well...
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