Beginning Readers

WHAT WILL I BE? by Nicola Davies with illustrations by Marc Boutavant (Candlewick 2012) is a lift the flap book that takes readers from egg to bird or turtle or caterpillar and then to butterfly. After readers have the chance to guess what the animal will be, they lift the flap to confirm. Then, the following DPS shows the life cycle of the animal in question. <169>




UP1 TALL! AND HIGH! by Ethan Long (Putnam 2012) is subtitled BUT NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER. It has flaps that lift to show birds flying high, seeing who is tallest, and determining who is up the highest. Lots of interactive fun and a surprise or two for young readers. <170>




I'M FAST by Kate and Jim McMullan (Balzer and Bray 2012) will delight fans of I'M BIG and I STINK as this book continues in the tradition already established. A fancy red race car challenges a freight train to a race. Which vehicle will be able to maneuver its way to the finish line first? <171>

Board books, flap books, fun books

TRAINS GO by Steve Light is a board book (Chronicle 2012) that features long stretches of different trains and cars clacking and chugging and tooting along a track. Lots of onomatopoeia will delight young listeners as this one begs to be read aloud. <130>



ANIMAL SPOTS AND STRIPES by Britta Teckentrup (Chronicle 2012) is a lift the flap book. On each double page spread, readers will find one animal with either stripes or spots. Then, they lift the flap and uncover the same species now with stripes if the other had spots and vice versa. This is a sturdy board book, perfect for sharing with a child one-on-one. <131>




CHLOE, INSTEAD by Micah Player (Chronicle 2012) features Molly talking about how she wanted a little sister, but the one she got was not exactly what she had in mind. She wanted a little sister just like her, but "I got Chloe, instead." This refrain will be familiar as we learn how Molly must deal with having a sister who is not quite what she had hoped for. As it turns out, though, Chloe is a terrific sister. <132>




AOKI is one of the books in the Kokeshi series from Chronicle Books. Each book features a different kokeshi doll and her "adventures." There are flaps to lift as Aoki who is traveling to Tokyo to visit a friend. Train rides, shopping, and other activities all include some looking for detail behind flaps that are horizontal and vertical, wide and narrow. Exploration of the lift the flap format is fascinating in these books. <133>




ANIMAL 1 2 3 by Britta Teckentrup (Chronicle 2012) is a nice companion to the ANIMAL SPOTS AND STRIPES (see above). Here the lift the flap reveals the next number of objects in sequence. So, if the left side of the double page spread reads "1 wriggly snake," when the flap is lifted, there are now "2 wriggly snakes." Great for counting. <134>