Pitter Pattern

In this creative picture book, Hesselberth introduces readers to a little girl named Lu and her family and friends. Lu is learning about patterns, and she finds them all around her. She hears them in the noise of the falling rain. She notices them in the food on each person’s plate at snack time. She recognizes them in the repeating structure of the seven days in a week, in her grandma’s quilts, and in the layout of the keys on a piano. In addition to the patterns Lu points out, Hesselberth fills the pages with many, many more. There are perfect patterns on curtains, buildings, and even ice cream cones. There are also patterns occurring naturally in nature, like the stripes on a zebra or spots on a dog. With little text and lots of patterns, this original book is sure to delight young readers who are interested in patterns as they scour the pages for them, even if older readers (and adults) find it repetitive and boring by the end. The flat, layered illustrations are consistent with Hesselberth’s style and are busy with repeating textures, layouts, and designs on most objects, from umbrellas to curtains to building windows.