Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Where is everyone? by Tom Schamp

 My families are always clamoring for more lift-the-flap books, although they tend to destroy them rather quickly, so I decided to take a look at this board book from Prestel, originally published in Dutch.

The plump, yellow ducklings on the cover march through the book, past a number of different items, all of which can be lifted to reveal a different animal. A washing machine, with laundry basket on top, is accompanied by the question, "Who always does the wash?" and readers lift the flap to reveal a grinning raccoon. A pelican is behind the sink, a dog fits into the contours of a bed, and a final spread with a multi-tiered cake reveals all the animals of the story enjoying a treat.

Guessing books usually have some hints, broad ones especially for younger kids, but there's no indication of the animals hidden behind the various items here. This gives the book a rather surreal feeling, especially when looking at the sometimes distorted animal shapes and the fixed smiles of the ducklings, whose presence is never explained. The art is in earth tones, with some brighter shades, and there are odd details like the toaster dials spelling out "TOM" or the sink's faucet looking like a face.

The flaps are fragile, thin cardboard embedded into the pages with thumbnail cut-outs to enable children to lift them. These, in my experience, quickly disintegrate.

Verdict: If you have broad funding and are fine with purchasing a lot of additional lift-the-flap books, this is fine as an extra purchase, but it may not appeal to a broad audience and will probably be ripped or lose its flaps very quickly.

ISBN: 9783791374505; Published September 2021 by Prestel; Review copy provided by the publisher