Jonathan Emmett

I love this book. Each page is a building and has two flaps to lift (upper and lower story) each with a letter and simple rhyme. It is very cleverly done. The first page, for instance, is Alfie's Bakery (A, B). Under the upper flap is "Aa, A is for Aardvark, asleep in her bed." And under the lower flap is "Bb, B is for Bear, baking some bread." When you are done, the entire book unfolds into a single long page, one side with the part you just read, and the reverse is another long scene of community life. Great exploration of both the alphabet and community. My one quibble is that they used a fancy serif font for the bolded letters (Aa), yet the rest of the font is a nice easy sans serif font. I would have preferred they keep it simple for learning purposes. Otherwise, this book is fantastic.… (mer)

Come to the Christmas Village!

This adorable book takes place on Christmas Street—a cute village that has flaps that open. Inside them will be found residents busy with different Christmas tasks such as decorating the tree, making gingerbread or present shopping. Additionally, each flap shows a letter of the alphabet that has a Christmas theme.

As the reader goes down Christmas Street, another building folds out until the book becomes over eight feet long! Besides being something to read, this book can stand up on its own, and even become a decoration.

Children will be amazed to have a book that is this big, along with all the fun flaps to open. The members of the village are cute animals such as reindeer, bears and even giraffes. The illustrator, Ingela P. Arrhenius, made the pictures brightly colored and endearing.

Little ones through five-years old will love this lift-the-flap board book. They will enjoy the many surprises under the flaps, the book's ability to grow, along with the way it can be set up when opened. This sturdy book is sure to last a long time, and I highly recommend it!

Candlewick Press has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, Christmas Street, for the purpose of review.… (mer)