Ceri & Deri: Time for Clocks by Max Low is an adorable story that introduces the concept of time. The illustrations are cute and not overly fussy. A couple of the illustrations were pretty funny, such as the animals' imaginative concept of what a clock looks like. I like how this is a story that will enable a parent or teacher to add simple direct comprehension questions regarding the text. I especially like how it approaches opposites since one animal is a cat and one is a dog -- they look different and have different preferences, yet they remain best friends. It provides a simple introduction to the concept of time and why it is important to use a clock for planning activities. It also briefly tells what a clock is and what the hands do on the clock. I do wish that it would have provided more instruction on how to actually tell time, but I'm guessing the target audience is a little younger than the students that I teach -- hence the character adding illustrations to the clock face as opposed to teaching the characters how to really tell time. This certainly would not be all one would need to teach the concept of time, but it could be useful to use on the very first day of introducing time.

I really love how the illustrations are simple, but complex at the same time. I really love how one animal is striped and one is polka-dotted. Kids are going to love this book!

There are plenty of wonderful things happening in this book, but I feel they are ultimately undone by the lengthy and preachy text that misses the mark. (My three year-old skipped through most of the pages and didn’t want to read it more than once.) Yes, a “clock face” is a term associated with clocks (which are related with time), but if its inclusion is meant to be instructional, then it’s abstraction will only confuse readers. If the clock face is meant to be a play on words, then the preachy, educational tone sours the experience. I’d love to read this book boiled down to half (or even one-third) the word count and with a sharper focus. Is this educational? No, but there are opportunities to make it so. Is it funny? Not really, but it could be with some changes. Is the story engaging? No, but only because the book doesn’t know what story it’s telling or what function it’s supposed to serve. The illustrations are mostly delightful and easily the most exciting aspect of the book.

This is a fun story that is actually really a good choice to help teach kids how to tell time. It won't be the only resource you'll need, but it's going to get you off to a great start. On top of that, it's just an interesting story in and of itself.

The story is fine, if not overly childish. However, if it is supposed to be teaching someone how to tell time, it does an abysmal job of it.