Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Fridge and Oven’s Big Job by Steven Weinberg

I was interested enough in checking out this little series of board books to purchase one myself. The book is shaped like a chunky L, with the fridge standing tall on the spine and the oven next to it. The cover is an extra thick layer of pressed cardboard, with googly eyes embedded in the appliances.

The book is an illustrated story similar to Weinberg’s humorous beginning chapter book, The Middle Kid. White text and arrows show how the two work together to help an anonymous pair of brown hands mix up and bake a pan of cookies. Readers can “look inside” the red-hot oven, with little exclamations of “hot!” coming from each cookie, and count down until the cookies are done. The penultimate spread revisits the ingredients from the beginning, while the end pops two Black children into the picture, ready to share their cookies.

Verdict: This is a novelty, but a sturdy one that will delight kids who are especially tactile and those who love to investigate how things work. The accompanying titles on the dishwasher, and washer and dryer are sure to be popular as well.

ISBN: 9781250753250; Published August 2021 by Roaring Brook Press; Purchased and donated to the library