Usborne Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers About Your Body

Amazing and Fun Title: Lift-the-Flap: Questions and Answers About Your Body Author: Katie Daynes Illustrator: Marie-Eve Tremblay Genre: Non-fiction Picture Book Age: 4 and up (although I think it would depend on the 4 year old whether or not they would sit for this whole book) Is This Part of a Series?: Yes (there are several pages of Lift-the-Flap books and at least six Questions and Answers books) *I purchased a copy of this book Summary: This isn't your typical book-for-review type of book. Their is no story, chapters, or beginning, middle, or end. Instead, it is a non-fiction book centered around questions (who, what, where, when, why, how, and yes or no) centered around the theme of "your body." There's a great variety of questions (like does everyone snore, is my heart shaped like a heart, and when do babies learn to walk) and some cute illustrations that cover the pages from edge to edge. Overall Impression: I think it's a fun book. I loved the illustrations and the collection of questions and even learned a few things myself (such as what percentage of people can touch their tongues to their noses!). My kids also enjoyed it and have been through it about three times so far. The Nitty Gritty: This book has some great information to share and it presents it in a super cute way, both because of the questions that are asked and the illustrations that accompany the questions. My favorite question was in the yes or no section (Can I pick my nose if nobody is watching?) because of the honesty in the answer (Yes, but you shouldn't, and here's why...). Kids shouldn't ever be talked down to, and this question highlights the fact that Usborne Books & More believes the same thing. This is especially important when it comes to non-fiction books. When you talk down to kids, you underestimate their intelligence, risk making them self-conscious or embarrassed about asking questions (and in the case of this particular book, their body), and can make reading less fun. This book doesn't run any of those risks. The pictures and flaps are engaging, the answers are honest, and they subject matter frankly covers everything from dreams to body hair to excrement. Book Club Chatter: Whenever you are reading a book to a child, it is super important to help them connect to the book. Non-fiction books are no exception to this idea: the better a connection the children have to the book, the better they understand, learn, and remember what they are reading. While these aren't strictly book club style questions, here are a few ideas of how to help your child connect to the material in this book: --Any time the book mentions the size of something, help them to visualize that: if it references their fist (as in the size of a heart), have them hold up their fist. Hold yours up and compare them. Etc. This makes things very personal and concrete. --If the book mentions a developmental milestone--such as when a baby begins to walk--talk about when the child started walking, or when you did. --Probably the best thing you can do for you child is to follow the conversation where ever it happens to wander. --It is also good to note that this is an "Internet linked" book, meaning that there is a webpage for this book, with links to other websites, games, videos, and articles that have to do with the topic of the book (in this case the body) My Rating: 5 Star I am pretty sure this book will stick around our house for quite a while, being read many times in the process. And as is the case with other UBAM books I have encountered so far, it is a sturdy enough book to last through many years--and probably be useable as a good quality hand-me-down when we are ready to get rid of it. www.busybusybookwyrm.wordpress.com Date: 9/22/2015 10:41 PM