INTO THE FOREST

A sweet introduction to some of the animals that inhabit a North American forest.

As a squirrel searches for its mama it encounters a few other animal families along the way. Some are named, such as foxes, bears, deer, and rabbits, and some are not, such as frogs, birds, and butterflies. Squirrel’s search is described in rhyming text—“Hopping and stopping, / Squirrel sees deer! / But not her Mama— / she isn’t here.” There are plenty of rich vocabulary-building verbs, such as “scurries,” “darts,” “scampers,” “peer,” and “peek.” But the real joy in this board book is in the design and illustrations. Young readers will love the layered and shaped die-cut pages that reveal a different group of animals on each spread. The illustrations are bold and bright, employing a palette of mostly green, brown, orange, and blue. Exploring little hands will delight in passing their fingers over the raised designs found on every page as well as the smoothness of Squirrel’s spot gloss. And Squirrel’s quest? “Finally, who does Squirrel see? / It’s Mama and her family! / Now Squirrel is right where she should be— / napping in her favorite tree.”

A book toddlers will enjoy reading with an adult but also on their own.