Board Books with Flaps
Orodan, Mike. Peek-a-Baby Ocean. Chronicle, 03/2019. [14p.] $9.99. 978-1-4521-6646-9.
Orodan, Mike. Peek-a-Baby Farm. Chronicle, 03/2019. [14p.] $9.99. 978-1-4521-6645-2.
In this new series, young children can lift the large flaps to help the parent animal find their babies, encouraged by the simple rhyming text. The brightly colored artwork uses an usual palette dominated by rust, teal, beige, and light green. The pages are die-cut to resemble waves or hills, which adds a playful element but may wear out quickly. These illustrations may not carry well to a storytime audience but could work for one-on-one reading.
McEwen, Katharine. Who’s Hiding at the Beach? Nosy Crow, 05/2019. [10p.] $9.99. 978-1-5362-0585-5.
McEwen, Katharine. Who’s Hiding on the Farm? Nosy Crow, 05/2019. [10p.] $9.99. 978-1-5362-0586-2.
In this new series, small flaps can be opened to reveal a fact: “Chickens usually lay about one egg per day.” The flaps are relatively sturdy but very young children will need assistance in opening them, because they are so small (approximately the size of a Post-it Note). Although the narrative isn’t really a story, it is entertaining due to all the fun facts included. The full color illustrations are charming, and likely constructed using collage. Sure to be popular but the details are too small for this to be used at storytime.
Davies, Benji. Bizzy Bear Race Car Driver. Nosy Crow, 04/2019. [8p.] $7.99. 978-1-5362-0559-6.
In this entry in the popular series, Bizzy is a race car driver; the action is assisted by the sliders and wheel embedded in the pages. Like the previous books (there are 14 total), the text is a rhyme similar to the “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear” jump rope verse. The full color cartoon artwork is serviceable but this may not hold up to library circulation.
Arrhenius, Ingela P. Where’s the Astronaut? Nosy Crow, 05/2019. [10p.] $8.99. 978-1-5362-0752-1.
Like the previous books in this series (Where’s the Penguin?, Where’s the Ladybug?, etc.), each of the five spreads has the question “Where’s the (name of person or animal)?”, while that person is hidden under a cloth felt flap. The final spread has a mylar mirror and the bold graphic artwork is pleasing, but overall, this is really basic. The flaps are easy to lift and should hold up, and the concept is age appropriate for toddlers. Useful for storytime but not memorable.
Informational Pop-up Books
Krasinski, Geraldine. Cars (All About series). Illus. by Olivier Latyk. Twirl, 02/2019. [20p.] $14.99, 978-2-40800-790-4. Grades 1-5.
As the cover states: “More than 20 flaps, pull-tabs, and more!” are the highlight of this nonfiction book on automobiles, originally published in France. The full color graphic artwork, short sentences, and interactive features will attract reluctant readers as it describes how a car is built, repaired, washed, and sometimes raced. The characters reflect both male and female drivers but most of the mechanics are male. A nice introduction to the subject, this may hold up to library circulation since nonfiction books tend to appeal to slightly older children who might care for the book. Also, the flaps and other moveable parts are small.
Laboucarie, Sandra. Dinosaurs: Ultimate Spotlight. Illus. by Deborah Pinto. Twirl, 09/2018. [12p.] $16.99. 979-1-02760-428-9.
Originally published in France, this has pull-tabs, pop-ups, wheels, and flaps that will engage readers, along with the simple cartoon-like artwork. The text is made up of brief sentences offering facts on dinosaurs, so this is sure to be popular, although it is not innovative or particularly engaging. The various scientists and paleontologists depicted include females and people of color; this is probably best suited to a museum gift shop.
Flap Books for Readers
Dyson, Nikki. Flip Flap Dogs. Nosy Crow, 12/2018. [24p.] $11.99. 978-1-5362-0258-8.
A dozen dog breeds are the focus of Dyson’s latest “Flip Flap” book, which features pages cut in half horizontally, so the reader can combine the head of one dog on the legs of another. For example, a chihuahua head on the legs of a beagle makes a “cheagle.” Each spread features two four line rhymes – one on the top half, another on the bottom, so there are lots of combinations for the text. Both the rhymes and the illustrations of the dogs are serviceable but not really memorable; libraries may want to purchase if the previous “Flip Flap” books are popular.
Penny Peck, SJSU iSchool
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