At the Supermarket by Anne Rockwell

This updated edition of Rockwell’s picture book from 1979 offers a modern and timeless feel.  A little boy heads to the supermarket with his mother.  They buy meat, fruit and vegetables, bread and peanut butter.  In the cold dairy case, they get milk, butter, eggs and cheese.  Then there are the items in boxes and cans like coffee and napkins.  But it turns out that this is a special grocery trip and the boy and his mother select items to help them bake a birthday cake, including sprinkles and ice cream!  Returning home, they bake the cake together.

There is something special about books that focus on a specific activity.  This book is both universal and specific.  Children will enjoy seeing the similarities of what their family buys and also the differences.  Rockwell wisely lingers on the specific purchases, offering images of many of them.  Her illustrations that update this new version of the book are done in acrylic gouache.  They are simple and specific, underlining the universal appeal of the book and its subject.

Toddlers will relate quickly to this book and enjoy seeing another child heading out to the grocery store with a parent.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.