HONK, HONK! BAA, BAA!

This simple book of animal sounds concludes with a happy surprise.

Each spread pictures a single animal against a divided background—black and white on the left and a solid vibrant hue—green, blue, yellow or red—on the right. The text is simple: “HEE-HAW, HEE-HAW says the donkey,” “BAA, BAA says the sheep” and likewise for the pig, cat and goose. Each scallop-edged, right-hand page is a little shorter than the one preceding it, leading to a surprise on the final spread. The black-and-white left-hand pages layer atop one another to form the body of a Holstein cow who says “MOO” as she sticks out her bright pink tongue. The mixed-media illustrations are cheery and child-friendly. The bold, contrasting colors and the simplicity and brevity of the text make this a great choice for infants and toddlers. A small quibble: The front cover prominently features the text: “lift the flaps,” which is misleading considering there are no actual flaps to be lifted; the final effect is built simply by turning the pages in typical fashion.

A short and satisfying spin around the barnyard for babies.