«A guinea fowl who lacks the dense white speckles of his brethren tries to find an acceptable substitute, scrawling out a letter that reads "please send spots." The wild variety of spots that arrive "in a promising package tied up with string" let Ward exercise her considerable artistic talents as the dewy-eyed fowl contends with spots that are far too large, much too tiny, or "no spots at all" (die-cut holes drive this particular effect home). Ward's watercolors showcase her signature attention to detail, and foil and glitter accents enliven the pages as the guinea fowl tries out "Spots that lit up, useful only at night.../ and some that were simply too sparkly and bright." (Librarians beware: some readers will find it impossible to resist drawing the outline of the bird in a spread in which his body is transformed into a scattering of numbered "connect-the-dots spots.") Ward's whimsical imaginings and tight-as-a-drum verse supply plenty of entertainment on their own, but a subtle message about difference gives the story some heft, too»

Publishers Weekly

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Packed with perky Dr Seuss-esque rhyme, Spots by Helen Ward (Spots in a Box in the US) is a very funny exploration of one guinea fowl's quest for his missing spots.
His plumage is not like the others so he sends off for dotty supplies: he wants to fit in by matching his friends. Boxes of all sorts arrive, filled with spots of different colour and size, but will any of them be spot on and what he thought he needed?
This is an amazingly illustrated, stunningly produced book about how one guinea fowl's quest to be like all the others leads him to discover that we don't all need to be the same to get along; smiles, not colour of spots, is what brings us together.
Helen Ward's text is a delight to read aloud, full of bouncing, lively word play. Her illustrations, detailed and finely painted, zing off uncluttered white backgrounds, giving them a real sense of impact with each page turn. Not only beautiful to look at, they are also funny! From the guinea fowl with a box on his head to his dancing as he wears silvery, sparkly spots, there's something reminiscent of the great black and white comedy heroes like Laurel and Hardy or Buster Keaton in the bird's characterisation.
With die cut holes, foil and sparkle, this book has been produced with great attention to detail. The pages are such that you will want to explore them with your fingers as well as eyes as you read or listen (there's even a spread where you'll want to get out your pencils and make your own mark - the illustration will lure you in).
Humorous and inventive, with a subtle message about diversity and finding out who you are, Spots is a prize-worthy picture book.

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