Slide and See First Words: Animals by Helen Hughes, illustrated by Isabel Aniel. Tiger Tales, 2022. 9781664350403
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review): 3
Format: Board book
What did you like about the book? The pages introduce three different kinds of animals: pets, farm animals, and wild animals. This opens up an opportunity to talk about the difference between wild and tame animals. Each animal is labeled with its name under its picture. On the page following each broad category, one type of animal is singled out for more exploration. Three questions are asked, and sliders can be manipulated to reveal answers to the questions.
Anything you didn’t like about it? The pictures are flat. The animals look a bit like Gumby and Pokey, if you remember them, or like Fisher-Price stylized plastic playing pieces.
Some of the sliders are embedded so that the reader needs to find a way to grab them from inside the middle of the page, rather than an edge. It’s awkward. I can see it being frustrating for children rather than fun.
To whom would you recommend this book? Toddlers through kindergarten children who love animals and are learning to recognize words.
Who should buy this book? Daycares, preschools, public libraries looking to add to their board book collections.
Where would you shelve it? Board books
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Robin Shtulman, Athol Public Library, Athol, MA
Date of review: August 18, 2022
Youth Services Book Review 
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