MY BUSY COMPUTER BOOK
From the Skills for Starting School series
by Caryn Jenner ; illustrated by Reg Silva with Liza Lewis
This laptop-shaped offering (it opens from top to bottom after the release of a Velcro closure) introduces tots to colors, numbers, shapes, and opposites.
Bip, Bop, and Boo, a stuffed cat, elephant, and monkey respectively, appear in each section to suggest an activity (“Bip asks, ‘What shapes do you see?’ ”) via speech bubble. All but one of the four double-page spreads have flaps for readers to lift, but unfortunately they are too flimsy to withstand robust interaction. There is also a spin dial on two pages as well as sliding panels on another; all are relatively easy to manipulate. While the concepts are presented clearly enough (the book is part of the Skills for Starting School series), some of the images are a little too small for counting or easy identification. Bip, Bop, and Boo are fairly endearing characters, but the illustrations are a haphazard mishmash of what looks to be clip art and stock photography. The handle at the top is a toddler-friendly touch.
Little ones may be drawn to the sparkly foil of the faux screen cover, but the programming inside is industry standard.
(Board book. 2-3)