Adventure with Winnie Wolf(cl)

Maurice Pledger's book have the great illustrations that are detailed and true to life. Any of his books sould be visually pleasing. This book is in the peak-and-find format. Each page layout is fully illustrated, has text and has a flap that, when turned, reveals more text and a small pop-up surprise. The final page is a full pop-up. This book is about a little girl wolf named Winnie. She finds a feather in the forest and decides to look for the owner. On each page she meets an animal, each of which joins her as she seeks the owner. She meets a lizard, a butterfly, a skunk, a hummingbird, an owl, and a duck. Each animal is revealed behind the flap on the page. Each page has different flora surroundings. Just as she is giving up her search, the owner appears (SPOILER - it is a bald eagle). This book could grow with a child. Early, the revealed pop-ups will be the interest. Later, the types of animals and other things in the illustrations could be talked about. Also, on several pages there is another feather "hidden" in the picture - a child could be asked to find the feather. These feathers are from different birds, and the child could be asked to find who could be the owner just like Winnie the Wolf. The book has 9 layouts: 2 drawing only, 5 with peak-and-finds, and 1 full pop-up. The paper engineering is done well; the pop-up motion incorporates the movement of the animal that is revealed (e.g., hummingbird's and butterfly's wings flaps open, skunks tail goes up).

Our children loved this book so much, we bought 'Billy The Bunny' and 'Olivia Owl'. Every book in the series is spectacular. Our restless 1-year-old will actually sit still through Winnie Wolf, and our 4-year-old preschooler is starting to look at the words as much as the beautifully detailed pop-up art. The pop-ups are worlds beyond any other pop-up book I've ever seen. Thus, these books should be kept on the higher shelf away from the younger kids.

I am a reading teacher. Finding reading materials for young readers is often dificult. Pop-up books are typically enticing to pre-school, and low level primary school readers. The "Peek and Find" books combine enticement with a good reading lesson. Readers are confronted with clues to the identity of the hidden characters. When the reader opens the flap, his guesses are confirmed.Bright colors, simple text, clear dialogue and an easy to follow plot make reading the books fun for early readers. "An Adventure with Winnie the Wolf", is an excellent book for parents to read to their children as early as six months of age. Large type, and primary school level vocabulary makes this book a good book for teaching young readers to enjoy reading.