BABY DINOSAUR

Baby T. rex goes looking for his mommy.

As the little dino searches, readers can lift sturdy, shaped flaps on the right side of each double-page spread to see what Baby T. rex finds behind a rock and other obstacles. Doing this not only exposes a different pop-up dinosaur each time, but also offers an unusual vocabulary-building exercise for toddlers, as they uncover in turn “Baby Alamosaurus (al-uh-mo-SAW-russ),” “Baby Acheroraptor (AHR-kee-ro-RAP-tor),” “Baby Triceratops (try-serra-tops),” and “Baby Ankylosaurus (an-KYE-lo-SAW-russ).” Sporting big eyes, knobbly plastic skins, and in some cases fuzzy coats of pinfeathers, the dinos look both toylike and realistically detailed. Better yet, Baby T. rex’s search comes to a gleefully terrifying end as, out from behind a cave-shaped flap, “Mommy T. rex” lurches up at viewers, toothy jaws agape. “Hooray!” No need for a pronunciation guide, either. Along the same lines, though with considerably less drama, the co-published Under the Sea features plushy Striped Fish, polka-dot Spotted Seahorse, and other nautical friends playing hide-and-seek behind a plastic boat, a purple treasure chest, and other obvious toys.

Nature, plush in tooth and claw.