WHOSE TOES ARE THOSE?

Symes and Sharratt, who delighted little ones in Yawn (2011), pair up once again for more board-book fun.

Familiar animals take center stage in the spreads and hide behind flaps shaped as appropriate landscapes or objects. As a mouse dashes behind cheese and a bear ambles on the other side of a mountain range, youngsters guess their identities with only a tail, a foot and a nose peeking through as hints. The text, which balances repetition and variety nicely, provides clues: “Whose tail? / Whose toes? / Whose cold, wet nose?” The verso of the flap reveals the answer, dog in this case, with a one-word caption. The final scene shows a bald-headed Caucasian baby with rosy cheeks hiding behind a toy box that houses smaller versions of all the animals depicted before, now in toy form. The text now includes a reference to the baby’s fingers instead of a tail. The flaps are easy to open and relatively sturdy, but rounded corners would have been a thoughtful addition. Sharratt’s bold palette and simple, thick-lined cartoons are iconic and cheery.

A playful, predictable experience for lift-the-flap lovers. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)