PETS

Paper engineering animates a bevy of domestic animals as the pages turn.

A dog jumps over a fence, a goldfish splashes in a fish tank, a rabbit pops up from behind a gate, and more in this new Pop and Play offering. Abbott’s boldly outlined cartoons in highly saturated colors give the pets a lively and friendly air. The almost unnecessary text often captions the action with a fact about each animal (“Kittens like to play”) and includes one question or instruction per scene to engage readers (“Count the paw prints.”) The companion title, Under the Sea, features sea creatures and includes the same page-animating pop-ups: A dolphin leaps through the waves, baby and mother whales spout water, various sea creatures explore a shipwreck, and more. As in the first book, the playful art is more appealing than the pedestrian text, but its pop-up features are some of the best in the series. Particularly eye-catching are the octopus’ legs, which burst out of the book, and the clown fishes’ tails, which appear to wiggle when the book is manipulated.

An enjoyable, affordable addition to this accessible series.