Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Hoot by Jonathan Litton, illustrated by Fhiona Galloway

I've been trying different books recently from the My Little World series and striking out. They're fun, but just not quite, exactly what I want.

This one starts out with Little Blue who is all alone. He goes looking for the other owlets and finds them one by one. Each is a different color and adds one number (Little Green is number two, etc.).

The pictures are bright and full of bold shapes and colors. There are graduated die cut holes for the owl's eyes that provide a sensory experience. The book is a sturdy square.

But...it's a little too busy. I can't get on board with some of the color choices, especially the one with a lavender background and Little Blue in shades of, well, blue. The many bright colors, the different shades, the numbers, the additional details on each page, it's just too much. I wanted to see more contrast - if they'd stuck with the background and colors of the cover and just focused on the numbers that would have been better.

Verdict: It's not a bad board book and I'm not sorry I bought it, but if your budget is limited it isn't the best of the series.

ISBN: 9781589255951; Published 2014 by Tiger Tales; Purchased for the library