Who's in the Tree?: And Other Lift-the-Flap Surprises

PreS-K—Using a series of questions about what animal is in a certain location, readers are asked to find the one that doesn't belong. From a penguin sitting in a treetop to an octopus hiding behind a jungle plant, the animals are fantastically and delightfully out of place. The lift-the-flap design with the surprise discovery underneath will be a storytime pleaser. The animals accumulate on the pages with each successive flap lift until they all appear at the end in the only place where they belong altogether—in the zoo. The ending ("Who's in the zoo and just won't do? Not us! The odd one out is YOU!") will take some discussion because it isn't obvious that the animals are in cages. Each question is written in rhyme, and sidebar comments from some of the animals extend the text. While each hidden animal is an unlikely answer, the clues in the rhyme will sometimes, if not always, lead children to a correct guess. Shuttlewood's illustrations are colorful and appealing. There are lots of interesting details in the illustrations to discuss when shared on a lap or during a group reading.—Maralita L. Freeny, District of Columbia Public Library