Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Who's hiding in this box? by Giuliano Ferri

  This is adorable and so sturdy! Starting with the front cover, each flap asks a question about who is hiding in the box. "Who squeezed her long neck into this box?" or "Who might snap at you from inside this box?" Lift the flap up, and find a sweetly drawn animal inside, with a simple identification, "A crocodile."

From the softly glowing blue and yellow octopus on the cover to the messy baby artist in the last box, the pictures are a delight to the eye, including a colorful snake, pouncing tiger, and swarm of bees. The text offers the opportunity for predictive reasoning - based on the clues of tracks, patterns on the box, and the hints in the question, toddlers are invited to guess who will be in the box. The questions aren't so challenging that they can't guess, but still challenging. They offer lots of opportunity to talk before lifting the "lid" about who eats bamboo, who might leave a curvy track with claw prints on the side, who has hooves and a long neck. I appreciated that the animals don't all default to male pronouns and they look friendly but still realistic.

The flaps are unique, being about half the size of a page with a triangular cut in from the gutter of the book and rounded edges to make them easy and safe for little hands to use. They're made from sturdy, glossy cardboard, a little thinner than a regular board book page but thicker than cardstock. With some tape reinforcement at the hinge, they should last through many children.

Verdict: A delightful new book that will please children who love lift the flaps without exasperating librarians with its flimsy construction. Recommended.

ISBN: 9789888341962; Published 2020 by Minedition; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library