God Made the Animals

Part of the Frolic First Faith series, this board-book-as-mask features two die-cut ovoid eye holes so that parents (or the children they are reading to) can disguise themselves with the heads of nine animals, including a monkey, fish, and panda. Turner’s verse emphasizes a divine role in creation, as well as the animals’ unique attributes: “God made the giraffe,/ who stretches so tall./ God made the hedgehog,/ who curls up in a ball.” The closing rhyme draws attention back to humans (“God made the animals,/ and God made you” ), but the accompanying image of a pink-skinned baby’s head may limit the book’s audience somewhat. Up to age 3. (Mar.)