Out of the Ordinary

Books with pop-ups, flaps, and die-cut pages.

Arrhenius, Peter. Who Works at Night? Illus. by Ingela P. Arrhenius. Nosy Crow, 09/2023. [14p]. $14.99. 978-8-88777-011-6.

     In this oversized board book with flaps, each spread depicts a workplace where people work at night. Included are a bakery, museum, hospital, train, and other sites. Each spread has a short four-line rhyme, brightly colored graphic-style illustrations, and flaps that open to show areas of the workplace. Informative and entertaining for very young children and emergent readers.

Davies, Becky. One Little Bug: Exploring Nature for Curious Kids. Tiger Tales, 08/2023. [14p]. $12.99. 978-1-6643-5084-5.

     This informational book on bugs will appeal to a wide age range with its wealth of easy to digest facts. Each board page has several flaps to lift, revealing a fact about a specific bug. The author is mindful to warn about touching bugs since some sting and encourages readers to just observe and release any bugs they find. The full color graphic illustrations depict the bugs in a fairly realistic way. Sure to be popular.

Davies, Becky. No Matter What… You Are Loved. Tiger Tales, 09/2023. [10p]. $9.99. 978-1-6643-5087-8.

     In this brief rhyming story, a diverse community tells children they are loved no matter their family circumstances. The board pages have die-cut hearts and red satin hearts embedded into the pages. This is serviceable but not memorable.     

Davies, Benji. Bizzy Bear: Chinese New Year. Candlewick, 12/2023. [8p.] $8.99. 978-1-5362-3201-1.

     The newest entry in this popular series celebrates Chinese New Year. The text still includes rhyme and repetition, making this great for storytime. There are also sliders that add an interactive element. This is a great way to introduce the holiday to toddlers.

Davies, Benji. My First Memory Game: Vehicles. Candlewick, 10/2023. [8p.] $14.99. 978-1-5362-3202-8.

     The popular board book character Bizzy Bear stars in this book that is also a game. Each spread focuses on a type of vehicle, with eight sliders hiding pictures of vehicles shown in the main illustration. Readers are asked to slide open the doors to find matching pairs, or match the picture to the same vehicle in the larger illustration. Most of the intended audience will need a caregiver or older sibling to help them figure out how to play the game, but this will certainly engage them.

Dyrander, Johnny. “Make Tracks” series. Nosy Crow, 2012-2024. [8p.] $10.99 each.

Building Site. 979-8-88777-009-3.

Cars. 979-8-88777-008-6.

Farm. 979-8-88777-036-9.

Trucks. 979-8-88777-037-6.

     In this series of rhyming board books with flaps, five vehicles are featured in each of these toy books with board pages. Facts about the title item are paired with a simple racetrack embedded in the board page which contains a small disc to move around the track. More game than book, these are very sturdy and will engage toddlers who want to try to move the discs. At the same time, a caregiver can read the simple text while the child listens and plays.

Evans, Harriet. I Turtley Love You. Illus. by Bryony Clarkson. Tiger Tales, 09/2023. [14p.] $8.99. 978-1-6643-5078-0.

     In this board book with die-cut pages, ocean creatures describe their offspring using a rhyming text. For example, a turtle and a hatchling swim and cuddle under the water. The full color art features holes to see what creature is coming next, and cardboard animals are solidly glued to the pages giving a 3-D effect. A sweet but not essential purchase for libraries.

Littleboy, Molly. Digger: How It Works. Illus. by David Semple. Tiger Tales, 07/2023. [12p]. $9.99. 978-1-6643-5077-9.

     In this informational book with board pages and die-cuts, preschoolers will learn about vehicles that help with construction. Diggers resemble tractors, but have an arm called a boom that digs up dirt and other material. The driver of the digger is shown as a Black woman in the full color graphic style illustrations. Even with the die-cuts, this is very sturdy and should hold up to library circulation.

Tangen, Katrina. Copy That, Copy Cat! Inventions Inspired by Animals. Illus. by Giulia Orecchia. Barefoot Books, 09/2023. [32p.] $19.99. 978-1-64686-999-2.

     In this oversized board book with die-cut holes and large flaps, children will try to guess what is pictured on the next page. The rhyming text describes an invention inspired by nature, such as swim fins which are based on a frog’s foot. The large flaps reveal a picture of the invention with a few facts, making this for older preschoolers and emergent readers. It also contains several smaller, sturdy flaps on the last pages to give more information. Sure to be a hit.

Trukhan, Ekaterina. “Baby Faces” series. 2023-2024. [10p.] $9.99 each.

Little Bear: Where Are You? 979-8-88777-007-9.

Little Dog: Where Are You? 979-8-88777-006-2.

Little Lamb: Where Are You? 979-8-88777-038-3.

Little Tiger: Where Are You? 979-8-88777-071-0.

     In these very simple books for babies, a repetitive chant asks the child to look for an animal, which is pictured on a large flap. Under the flap is a mylar mirror, so babies can see themselves. Although the pleasant graphic art is inviting, there is not much originality or innovation here.      

Underwood, Edward. My First ABC. Nosy Crow, 09/2023. [14p.] $12.99. 979-8-88777-012-3.

     This large alphabet book with board pages has a retro-feel, with two letters featured per page, and simple examples. The letter D shows a duck, dog, and drum and both the capital and small letter is shown. Each page has one large, sturdy flap, and reveals another example of the featured letter. This is great for younger toddlers due to its simplicity.

                             Penny Peck, SJSU iSchool