Reviews

PreS-Gr 1-These lift-the-flap stories starring a playful pooch are bound to amuse the preschool set. Brightly colored pages with simple cartoonlike animals enhance the simple texts. Next Door introduces the pup's neighborhood friends: Boo Boo and Bongo, monkeys who love to play hide-and-seek; Pogo the pirate pig, who is hunting for gold; and Tigi the turtle, who helps YoYo keep cool by inviting him into his swimming pool. In Park, the pooch rides his scooter, plays on the swings, flies his kite, feeds the ducks, and plays on the slide. The final page says, "But YoYo's favorite is the seesaw because-" (lifting the flap reveals a picture of a much larger dog sporting a red bow tie) "his dad is there!" These books, printed on heavy stock, are a delightful addition to toddler times and can be used as an incentive for early readers.-Karen Land, Greenport Public School, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Introduced in board books last year, the yellow dog YoYo is on the go-go in two lift-the-flap paperbacks, YoYo Goes Next Door and YoYo Goes to the Park, both by Jeannette Rowe. Vertical and horizontal gatefolds extend the action in the illustrations, which are almost Maisy-esque in their bright color and simplicity. (Mar.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.