Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Jonny Lambert's Animal 1 2 3

I discovered Lambert's watercolor collages (I don't know if that's what they're really made of, but that's what they look like to me) a while ago and I've come to really enjoy the style. This is a simple but sweet board book with attractive images.

Each spread shows a few animals - some out in the open, some hidden, and asks the reader to count them. On alternate spreads, you lift a flap to see the full picture. So for four camels, you see two small camel calves and an adult, but if you look closely, you'll see there are extra legs behind the adult. Lift the flap (up) and you will see a second adult camel bringing the total to four. On the pages with no flaps, the animals are still challenging to spot because of their blended colors and shapes.

From the beginning; 1 bear is alone, lift the flap to see two flying dragonflies. One hippo and two noses are shown, lift the flap to see all three hippos. The fifth wolf of the pack is shown as only a flying tail until you lift the flap. Six mice have no flap. Seven lizards are shown on the page, but lift the flap to see two of them dance away. Eight penguins have no flap. Nine bees buzz across two full-page flaps and a field of sunflowers. Ten flamingos (no flap) are the final number and the last spread and page of the book shows the numbers and small pictures of each animal.

The flaps are the thickness and weight of the heavy board pages themselves. I don't think they actually need reinforcement, but maybe some extra tape along the hinge would be good. The book is on the larger side, 8.5x8.5 so it would make a good storytime choice as well, spreading out the flaps for a good look.

Verdict: A fun and well-done addition to any board book collection recommended.

ISBN: 9781465478450; Published November 2018 by DK; Borrowed from another library in my consortium