With fun interactive flaps and imaginative illustrations to spark ideas on what kids can do with a box, this adorable book is Christina Katerina and the Box for toddlers, with the sweetest illustrations possible.

With fun interactive flaps and imaginative illustrations to spark ideas on what kids can do with a box, this adorable book is Christina Katerina and the Box for toddlers, with the sweetest illustrations possible.
Don’t let the title fool you. While the term ‘high street’ brings to mind the typical mainstream chains and franchises that seem to be everywhere these days, if anything, Scottish author-illustrator Alice Melvin’s The High Street is a romantic throwback to the good old days of small independent shops that are not owned by faceless corporations, but regular folks whom you can actually get to know and build a trusting relationship with.
Spot the Dot is a strikingly colourful and interactive book that is bound to bring more than a spot (pun intended) of cheer.
The ingenious paper engineering in What’s in the Witch’s Kitchen? allows the reader to lift the flap on each spread in two directions for startlingly different results.
Styled as a mini investigation of sorts, Worms for Lunch? begins by asking just that: “Who eats worms for lunch?” which immediately sets the reader thinking.
We’re big fans of the dynamic duo of Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, who create stunning non-fiction picture books that really appeal to children. The Caldecott Honor What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? — which we own and reviewed previously — is my son’s favourite non-fiction book. Well, at least it was until he was introduced to Animals Upside Down.
The idea of taking a writing implement such as a purple crayon, a red marker
or a red chalk
and magically drawing things that become real, or portals to other lands, has been explored many times in children’s books; and while they are all wonderfully imaginative, I’ve always found that they seem to be aimed at children who are already somewhat proficient in drawing.
While Andrew Drew and Drew also features a protagonist with a writing implement — a pencil this time — it is inventive and creative in a way that doesn’t intimidate or overwhelm children who simply have an interest in art and enjoy doodling, even if their sketches don’t exactly resemble — at least to the ‘untrained’ eye — what they are intended to be.
The cover of Who’s Looking at You? kind of sums up what it is all about. Featuring intriguing macrophotography and a clever lift-the-flap concept, this is a book that will literally get kids to see eye to eye with a wide variety of animals.
In the animal kingdom, every day is a game of Survivor: outwit, outrun, outlive. Where in the Wild? thus highlights one of the key survival skills of animals: the art of camouflage. For a prey especially, if it can’t be seen, it can’t be hunted down; whereas for a predator, keeping itself hidden from plain sight is an advantage since the prey wouldn’t see it coming until it’s too late.
I’m a sucker for a good idea, and the concept behind Tuck Me In! is creative and cute. Basically, the reader gets to ‘tuck’ a series of cute baby animals in bed by turning over a half-page flap that has been cleverly designed as a ‘blanket’, and bidding them good night. A quirky, interactive bedtime book for toddlers.