Spotted Yellow Frogs: Fold-out Fun with Patterns, Colors, 3-D Shapes, Animals

Once again this best-selling author-illustrator delights toddlers with an irresistible lift-and-peek format that turns learning into pure fun. Each spread features a colorful geometric shape sporting a distinctive pattern. With the flip of a gatefold, the patterned shape becomes a merry troupe of similarly patterned animals engaged in giggle-producing antics. Peek under a striped orange cube and discover a striped orange tiger daddy overwhelmed by playful cubs. A swirly purple wedge reveals a bevy of butterflies, swirly purple wings aflutter as they vie for a sip of nectar. And while toddlers explore the eye-pleasing visuals, they'll take an important first step toward reading as they begin to associate pictures with words. Spotted Yellow Frogs introduces a new animal, pattern, shape, and color on each of its eight fold-out spreads. Two bonus spreads containing eight more lift-and-peek opportunities unfold to over three feet long and provide hands-on guessing game fun and a spot-the-errors challenge. Matthew Van Fleet lives in Chappaqua, New York.

A companion to the popular One Yellow Lion and Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings, Matthew Van Fleet's Spotted Yellow Frogs is an engaging fold-out book for babies and preschoolers. Each spread introduces a new pattern, 3-D shape, and color. For example, one set of pages has the words "Striped Orange" on the left, and on the right is a striped orange cube entitled "Cube." Fold out the cube, and voilà! A pride of tumbling, striped-orange tigers appears. Young children will love the peek-a-boo approach of the book, but parents and teachers should let kids know that the patterns shown in the book are not necessarily the only patterns one might find in the animal kingdom. For example, beetles are not always "zigzag red" and butterflies aren't always "swirly purple." The book closes with a 36-inch-long, fold-out page featuring all seven shapes. Readers are asked to call out the names of the shapes, colors, and patterns, and to guess which animals hide behind each. The flip side shows a jumble of all the animals, so kids can pick out which animals are matched with the "wrong" pattern. Spotted Yellow Frogs is an excellent learning tool, and a book that children will want to read again and again. (Baby to preschool) --Aimee Damman