Spot the Animals: A Lift-the-Flap Book of Colors

by American Museum of Natural History

Whats hiding there? This charming novelty book, created with the experts at the American Museum of Natural History, is an irresistible first-concept book, combining colors and animals. Peek-a-boo holes in the flaps reveal a bit of a brightly hued creature hiding underneath, making a fun guessing game for preschoolers. Readers can lift the flaps to discover six animals cleverly camouflaged in their natural habitats, from rainforests to coral reefs. Illustrated by Caldecott Honor award-winner Steve Jenkins, Spot the Animals is sure to be a favorite.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Science, Storytime

16 pages, Board Book

First published October 2, 2012

Reviews

[Heather Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

lily fall reading 2018, board book, animals, colors

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done
Colorful
Flaps durable
Could have had photos or more detailed illustrations

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Board book pages, with a colorful animal to discover on each page. Red crab, yellow fish, blue penguin, etc. Not surprisingly, M's favorite page is the one with the bug.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book that I"ve used with both kids. I love the illustrations of the book, it's so bright and colorful and really engages the kids. I also love how the animals are hidden, and when you lift the flap it really makes it multi-dimensional.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally thought this book was beautifully illustrated and very realistic. Some reviewers complained that the selection of animals is too exotic and specific for a toddler: a ghost grab, a stink bug, a snake, a yellow tang fish, a penguin, and a butterfly. Admittedly, most are not creatures toddlers would be familiar with, but in this case its a good thing. Maybe I am a sucker for good illustrations, but my son did really enjoy this book and was very captivated by the uniquely shaped flaps. In response to people who think the animals are too odd for toddlers, I believe my 20 month old is sick of looking at the same familiar boring old farm animals over and over behind most lift the flap books anyway. Aren't lift the flaps appealing because you don't know whats going to be behind the flap? Well this book will really surprise and amaze them! Each of the featured animals is entirely one color. The text gives a brief description about what the animal does and then asks "Can you spot the blue animal?" The flaps have holes or areas where you can see parts of the animals' bodies. I was happy to see it was put together by the American Museum of Natural History, which is one of my favorite places to visit as New-Yorker. I've visited about a hundred times and still always find something new and stimulating. Their exhibits and publications are always very high quality and this one definitely is. I can't wait to start sharing my love of AMNH with my son.

Autumn @ From Papyrus to Picture Books

[Cemeread]

This board book has fold out gates so although the book itself is on the small side it may work for a small group. Each page asks, "Can you spot the (color) animal?" It may be hard for a group to see some of the colors through the gates. Next a one sentence clue is given about the animal. Many of the clues include something about the animal group such as feathers, wings, or scales. I don't think children will guess all the of the animals, but most preschoolers will know most of the animals. The answer page includes the animals' group name and in a different color underneath the actual more specific name, which I really like as it allows for building vocabulary. The final pages show the colors in the story in rainbow order labeled with the word for each and the animals with their names in the color they represented.

preschoolers

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot to like about this board book, especially for library use. There is an appropriate amount of text, the flaps for babies to lift are nice and sturdy, and Steve Jenkins's illustrations are lovely. Good for learning about animals and colors.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this for babies and pretoddlers. Works on vocabulary building with animals and colors. Nice flaps and color contrasts that make it engaging. Would be a nice companion for Eric Carle's Brown Brown Bear.

[Destiny Dawn Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

My almost-2 year old loves this book. We've borrowed it from the library several times. Each time she seems to retain more information from it. I love that it uses familiar animal types, but in less familiar species. Helps toddlers develop an understanding and appreciation of the natural world.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at drop-in story time on 5/7/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Ellias · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the colors in this book, and the realistic pictures of the animals. It's fun to find them under the flaps, especially when I get to say "bug" and hiss like the snake.

[Aaron Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the details!

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creative concept.

[Megan Gery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful and educational with sturdy peek-a-boo flaps. M (3) enjoyed it and asked lots of questions.