cover image Flappy Waggy Wiggly

Flappy Waggy Wiggly

Amanda Leslie. Dutton Children's Books, $13.99 (34pp) ISBN 978-0-525-46182-1

Vibrant, saturated colors and a clever design make this paper-over-board book an engaging and peppy debut. A simple riddle about an animal appears within a colorful block of handwritten text at the center of each spread; the animal's head and tail peek out at either edge, along with the word for the sound it makes. A turn of a half-page gives the answer and completes the picture. The eight riddles progress from the easily identifiable (""Who has a waggy yellow tail and a sticky licky tongue?""/ ""woof!""--""dog"") to the more challenging (""Who has a long red tongue and a spotty slithery body?""/ ""hissss!""--""snake"") to readers themselves (""Who has ten fiddly fingers/ ten wiggly toes...""). Leslie's straightforward, playful descriptions and the thickly outlined, friendly-looking characterizations hit the target for youngest riddlers. Ages 2-5. (May)