UP DOWN ACROSS

Various marine animals explore the ins and outs of motion.

Little ones are encouraged to examine the space around them with this board book. Each double-page spread features a different set of animals, varying from polar bears to jellyfish, moving through space. Each page features a tab that, when pulled, moves the animal through the scenery and reveals escalating relative modifiers, such as "Under, behind, over" or "Below, beside, above." As the tab is pulled, readers see one animal move through the three different described positions. The tabs are difficult to manage at times, and though they are sturdy enough, the surrounding card stock is all too easy to tear. Anxious readers may even be able to tug the tab out completely, thus ruining the illusion. The illustrations are colorful enough, but some of the logic of the text is lost in the interpretation: can a fish that swims “through” a frond of seaweed really be said to be moving from “inside” to “outside”? A complementary title, Small, Smaller, Smallest, exploring similar territory with woodland critters is also available.

While the premise is interesting, the execution is imperfect.