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DEEP IN THE FOREST by Josef Antòn

DEEP IN THE FOREST

by Josef Antòn ; illustrated by Lucie Brunellière

Pub Date: March 7th, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2351-3
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed

In a series of forest scenes, dozens of animals hiding within foliage, in treetops, underwater, and belowground challenge sharp-eyed viewers to pick them out.

Some are easier to find than others: among the creatures that flit in and out of view in the course of a day, a panda, for instance, and the hyena (this is not a real forest but a sort of tropical composite) stand out in several scenes. Also, along with direct hints (“watch out for that mosquito!”), the accompanying comments feature questions like “But where is the wood louse?” that prompt young explorers to look under the one large, shaped flap on each spread. The underside of the flap provides further prompts: “See the centipedes running? The scarab and tarantula in their holes?” Brunellière depicts both flora and fauna using bright colors, flattened perspectives, and similar lines and shapes to make spotting the animals a decent challenge. They are all easily recognizable, though, and overall create a sort of community—particularly toward the end, as they uniformly drowse off at sunset and become dimly visible shapes with glowing eyes in the moonlit close. Though this oversized book consists of but 14 board pages, this is not a book for infants, but patient toddler- or preschooler-and-adult pairs should find plenty to enjoy.

A pleaser for younger lovers of animals and visual puzzles alike.

(visual index) (Board book. 2-5)