LOOK WHO'S TALKING!
From the Scholastic Early Learners series
by Scholastic Inc.
A lift-the-flap, press-the-button, sign-the-word novelty board book.
On the first page readers will find the image of a baby on a flap. Lifting a flap, they will see a picture of another baby, and on the verso of the flap they will find instructions on how to say “baby” in sign language. If they match the image with one of the buttons on the right-hand side of the book and press the button, they will hear the word “baby.” Readers are then instructed to say the word “baby.” In this fashion, 10 different words are presented: baby, ball, banana, bath, car, cat, dog, hat, milk, and shoes. The final double-page spread introduces 15 additional words with flaps but no buttons to match. Babies will find the flaps difficult to lift, and there’s no big reward after they have, as all they will find is a variation on the object in question, such as a baby wearing a hat under the photo of the hat or a kitten tangled in yarn under the photo of the unencumbered kitten. And there are so many things to do! Lift the flap, sign the word, match the image with the button, hear the word, and say the word. It is very hard to see what the book is trying to accomplish or what audience it is trying to reach.
A jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.
(Board book. 1-3)