The 123 Tree
Adam Thompson and Erica Harrison
Messy Press

As the sun sets over the forest, the oak tree is a busy place with lots of different kinds of creatures going about their various bedtime routines while the owl is still sleeping. There are 2 cozy squirrels sharing a bedtime story, 3 fuzzy bears enjoying a bath together, 4 dozy slugs making a slimy path along a branch, 5 croaky frogs singing to the music of a guitar, accompanied by six small birds chirping along. Clearly the 7 ants are still hungry; they are nibbling one of the oak leaves and further along the branch 8 tired mice are brushing their teeth. Now that the moon is shining brightly, it’s time for the 9 drowsy bats to wake up and perhaps enjoy the glowing lights of the 10 twinkling fireflies. Also beginning to wake is the owl, albeit somewhat slowly, now that it’s almost too dark to see.

Little humans will delight in discovering the various animals’ pre-slumber routines and counting the creatures in the bold illustrations while enjoying listening to the rhyming text that will help them get ready for sleep too. There’s a ladybird that appears on every one of Erica Harrison’s scenes and that adds another fun visual element.

Flip-Flap-Peekaboo Owl
Ali Pye
Little Tiger

Five locations are visited in this flap book: first the dark, dark cave wherein Bat ‘is snoring sweetly’ – not for long though as suddenly there comes a ‘Flip-flap- BOO!’
A similar thing happens when we look under the large leaf: Mouse is ‘nibbling nicely. Yum, yum.’ but he too cannot resist a surprise – ‘Squeak-a- BOO!’ Racoon’s resting spot is a green bush – a good place for a sniffle of a flower but maybe he’s a hay fever sufferer for very soon we hear, ‘Achooo-BOO!’ I wonder what is behind the log making a soft ‘ribbit’ sound and what happens then. Last stop is a cosy nest wherein an owl is snuggled: a surprise awaits little ones when they open the final flap …

another interactive board book is:

Let It Snow!
Nicola Edwards and Sophie Ledesma
Little Tiger

With its rhyming text by Nicola Edwards and Sophie Ledesma’s snowy scenes little hands can have fun manipulating a wheel, a double-sided pull-out, a pull-down mechanism and another tab that makes polar bear jump about. All the while snowflakes float in the air and tucked away behind a snowy mound is a sleepy animal: now what might that be? …