HOOT HOOT

Five forest creatures lurk behind large flaps, ready to leap, run, or fly into view.

Leading questions (“Who’s that speedy fellow with mischief in his eye?”) and glimpses of ears or a nose in the simple cartoon landscapes hint at who is going to spring up when the flap is raised: “It’s clever Fox! He’s watching lots of birds up in the sky!” Though a touch low on verisimilitude (Fox is posed dashing away from a decidedly vulnerable-looking bunny, for example), the brightly colored scenes offer light exposure to nature and the outdoors, and they also feature a diverse range of paper-engineered motion. Effects range from a woodpecker tapping on a tree to a wolf howling at sunset for his “breakfast.” Wise old Owl flaps her wings and hoots into the night to cap this dawn-to-dark excursion.

Fun indeed, as the subtitle indicates, and a good choice for a short bedtime session.