Pop-up and Flap Books
Anon. Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Illus. by Yu-hsuan Huang. “Sing Along with Me!” series.Nosy Crow, 09/2020. [8p.] $8.99. 978-1-5362-1484-0.
Anon. The Wheels on the Bus. Illus. by Yu-hsuan Huang. “Sing Along with Me!” series.Nosy Crow, 09/2020. [8p.] $8.99. 978-1-5362-1483-3.
With more than a dozen board books celebrating popular nursery songs, these books feature sliding elements and wheels that turn. Each has animal characters who wear clothing and live in a human world. Each book includes four choruses of the song, which will help new parents and English learners memorize the lyrics. The board pages are very sturdy, so these should hold up to library use.
Anon. I Thought I Saw a Crocodile. Illus. by Lydia Nichols. “I Thought I Saw” series. Templar, 11/2020. [8p.] $8.99. 978-1-5362-1542-7.
Anon. I Thought I Saw a Panda. Illus. by Lydia Nichols. “I Thought I Saw” series. Templar, 11/2020. [8p.] $8.99. 978-1-5362-1543-4.
Sliding doors reveal a crocodile in each spread in these easy to read board books. The title is repeated on each spread, followed by a question asking where the title character might be. The title featuring the crocodile is about construction, with male and female works of various ethnic groups. The panda title is set at a fair; it also includes human characters of various ethnicities. A useful series for readers and toddlers.
Arrhenius, Ingela P. Where’s the Tiger? “Where’s the” series. Nosy Crow, 09/2020. [10p.] $8.99. 978-1-5362-1439-0.
Arrhenius, Ingela P. Where’s the T. Rex? “Where’s the” series. Nosy Crow, 09/2020. [10p.] $8.99. 978-1-5362-1438-3.
With more than 20 books in this simple series, each has the same format of five spreads asking the reader to look under a felt flap to find an animal. The final spread is always a mylar mirror. The lack of variation or originality make this series a low priority for libraries.
Boughton, Sam. Hello, Bear! “Animal Facts and Flaps” series. Templar, 10/2020. [16p.] $12.99. 978-1-5362-1540-3.
Boughton, Sam. Hello, Whale! “Animal Facts and Flaps” series. Templar, 10/2020. [16p.] $12.99. 978-1-5362-1541-0.
Slightly larger than most board books, this series features a longer text and more demanding vocabulary, making this for older preschoolers. The hand-lettered text and watercolor artwork adds humor, with cartoon people and animals interacting in the animal’s natural habitat. There are several sentences in each spread, offering facts and trivia; lift the flaps for more facts. These are fun informational books that will appeal to a wide age range.
Cousins, Lucy. Maisy’s Construction Site. Candlewick, 09/2020. [8p.] $9.99. 978-1-5362-1294-5.
The little white mouse Maisy, star of an animated television series, works with her animal friends to build Ella a house. The full color cartoon artwork and simple narrative are appealing and would work well for a construction-themed storytime.
Lloyd, Rosamund. When I Grow Up I Want to Be… Illus. by Richard Merritt. Tiger Tales, 08/2020. [12p.] $9.99. 978-1-68010-613-8.
Each spread features a person on the left, facing a page depicting where they work such as a spaceship, classroom, sports field, firehouse, and doctor’s office. There are flaps that open with captions that mention what they wear, what equipment they use, and other aspects of their jobs. Even though this has board pages, it is likely to appeal to older preschools instead if young children due to the concept. The retro-style full color artwork is appealing, and features men and women of various ethnic groups.
Reid, Camilla. Peekaboo Apple. Illus. by Ingela P. Arrhenius. “Peekaboo” series. Nosy Crow, 09/2020. [8p.] $9.99. 978-1-5362-1445-1.
Reid, Camilla. Peekaboo Farm. Illus. by Ingela P. Arrhenius. “Peekaboo” series. Nosy Crow, 09/2020. [8p.] $9.99. 978-1-5362-1444-4.
In this new series, sliding doors reveal various animals or items that relate to the setting. The simple rhyming text will help children guess the words, and the full color graphic-style artwork also makes it easy for young children to guess the answers. Each book ends with a mylar mirror, similar to the “Where’s the…” series, so this is not overly original.
Penny Peck, SJSU iSchool
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