Author & Illustrator: Clotilde Perrin
Publisher: Gecko Press
Ages 3-8
I generally recommend Flap Books solely for the 4 and under set. The Peek-A-Boo crowd has a tendency to skew young and holding a kid’s interest gets harder as they get older. Once the quaintness of lifting paper to reveal something underneath is gone, a story has to be pretty good to keep a youngin’s attention–and those stories, at least in this type of book, are rare. Perrin, however, manages to merge a delightfully engaging narrative and wonderfully detailed illustrations into some basic and intricate folds that elevate this Flap Book to another level.
A boy begins his journey with his suitcase in tow. Along the journey he acquires souvenirs (badges, rewards, tokens) that he also uses along the journey as a part of his adventures. Each double page spread represents a part of that journey, and includes multiple, layered flaps of discovery. Most importantly, the story develops within the flaps and deepens as the flaps shed layers and themselves “dive-into” the page.
Is a cheese sandwich only a cheese sandwich? Can you really use cake to fight off a monster? Do diamonds really give off light? Funny questions for the three and under crowd. Probative questions to engage discussion with the older kids.
Our boy returns home with an empty suitcase, but a filled life. That point, should be lost on neither child, nor adult.
Inside the Suitcase (Amazon)*
Inside the Suitcase (Support an Independent Bookstore)*
My thanks to Gecko Press for providing a Review Copy of this book. All opinions provided herein are my own.
More books for this Age Group can be found here and here.
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