Up, down, over, under, open, close: learning opposites is an important piece of early childhood development. Learning opposites helps children learn not only vocabulary, but also develop observational skills, critical thinking, and a more concrete understanding of the world around them. Forthcoming this September from Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, Fast Cheetah, Slow Tortoise: Poems of Animal Opposites is a lively, vocabulary-rich study of opposites featuring animal duos.

Author Bette Westera (website in Dutch) presents her animal opposites in free-verse poetry, which further distinguishes this picture book. Translated from the original Dutch by David Colmer, each short poem is written in the voice of the animal it describes. Colmer uses a lot of dynamic language here: squirrel leaps and scurries, cat strolls and hunts, and dolphins jump, chirp, and chatter. Animals are paired in two-page spreads and each poem’s title is an opposite of its counterpart: the tortoise is slow, for example, and the cheetah is fast. But sometimes the relationship between the animal opposites asks the reader to do some reflection: why is the cat “naughty,” and the dog “good?” Does this apply to all cats and all dogs? Why might the house sparrow be “contented,” while the swallow is “adventurous?”

The illustrations by Mies van Hout sometimes bring a cohesiveness to each animal pairing, such as the earth tones of the cautious groundhog and the reckless squirrel’s shared forest home. In other pages, the illustrations bring the contrast between the animal pairs to the forefront: the dazzling butterfly is bold and colorful against a white background, while the plain moth almost fully blends into a background of muted brown and mauve.

This book is, of course, a great look at opposites. The book’s free verse poetry is accessible to even the youngest readers, provided it is read aloud with energy and expression. That is not an insurmountable task, as there is so much action and charm in each of these poems. In the classroom, it could form part of a poetry or animal study. And it’s perfect for animal lovers, especially those in grades Kindergarten and above. School and public libraries looking to expand their collections of poetry and interested in more sophisticated animal-centric picture book fare would do well to purchase this offering.

Title:  Fast Cheetah, Slow Tortoise: Poems of Animal Opposites

Written by Bette Westera

Illustrated by Mies van Hout

Translated from Dutch by David Colmer

Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, 2024

Originally published as Brave hond! Stoute kat!: Versjes over de aard van het beestje, Gottmer Kinderboeken, 2021

ISBN: 9780802856357

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Reviews: Kirkus, School Library Journal

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Klem-Marí Cajigas has been with Nashville Public Library since 2012, after more than a decade of academic training in Religious Studies and Ministry. As the Family Literacy Coordinator for Bringing Books to Life!, Nashville Public Library’s award-winning early literacy outreach program, she delivers family literacy workshops to a diverse range of local communities. In recognition of her work, she was named a 2021 Library Journal “Mover and Shaker.” Born in Puerto Rico, Klem-Marí is bilingual, bicultural, and proudly Boricua.