IN THE WOODS

Little readers explore the woods.

This board book is really a series of sliding puzzles, with each double-page spread featuring a completed picture on the left and a slide puzzle on the facing page. Little readers slide movable panels to reveal foxes, a hedgehog, an owl, and a deer. The puzzle image is slightly different from the clue image, with the animals opening their eyes or being joined by a tinier critter, but little readers should be able to integrate the differences without too much trouble. The smoothly sliding puzzles are very basic, with three rows each of panels that slide aside or up and down. Companion title On the Farm uses the same format and slide-puzzle feature with barnyard animals. The Woods title is a bit more visually appealing, with deep blues and oranges as opposed to Farm’s pinks, yellows, and browns. The board book is sturdily built, so even the most aggressive of readers will have a hard time pushing the sliding parts past their limits.

A cute exercise for little readers learning to play with composition and work on small-motor function.