Where's the Ladybug?

As I refresh the board book section, I am trying to strike a reasonable balance between adding all the touchy-feely/movable books that parents and babies love and adding books that will last more than a few checkouts.

I like Arrhenius' simple, poster-like artwork and when I saw that this book involved felt I decided I just had to have it. It's also the first book with our new "Busy Books" sticker, denoting a board book with some kind of toy aspect.

The book is the classic game of peekaboo. Colorful pages ask where a creature is and little readers pull back a flap of felt to reveal the little bug. A green felt leaf with a bite out of it peels back to show a caterpillar, a hot pink tulip reveals a bee, a neon orange rock shows a snail, two show more white daisy petals hide a ladybug, and the final selection, a turquoise bush, hides a mirror for children to peer into and see themselves.

The flaps are created by a slit in the double pages of thin cardboard, into which is glued the felt. It feels very sturdy, although I don't know how long it will stand up to little hands tugging and pulling. It also may spark ideas in parents for creating their own felt-flap books!

Verdict: Sure to be popular and sturdy enough to hold together at least for a few circulations, I am looking forward to purchasing more titles in this delightful new series.

ISBN: 9780763693350; Published 2017 by Nosy Crow; Purchased for the libraryRead, Read, Read, said the Baby: Where's the ladybug? by Ingela P. Arrhenius show less

Lift each flap to see if you can find the different bugs hiding behind them.

The bright, simple, graphic illustrations combine with the soft texture of the felt flaps make this a fun and tactile experience for babies and young toddlers. This book could be shared in baby time or laptime for a fun way to help babies learn to identify bugs. Babies will also have fun playing peek a boo and seeing themselves in the mirror on the last page.