My Dance Recital by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

My Dance Recital by Maryann Cocca-Leffler (website)

This interactive board book full of pull-tabs, flaps, and pop-ups, follows a little girl gets ready for and performs her dance recital. The text itself is simple enough for a toddler or preschooler to understand when read out loud to them, but it's not the story that makes this book special. It's the detailed and richly colored whimsical illustrations and the amount of interactivity on each page that will keep kids coming back to it again and again. I think we read this book about five times this weekend, and my little girl is absolutely fascinated with it. She loves trying to pull the tabs, opening doors, and lifting flaps, and the grand finale pop-up captivates her every single time.

For very young children, I'd recommend sitting down and reading it with them and showing them how to treat the book and all of its elements gently. Rips and tears are certainly possible when not-so-gentle hands are around.

It would definitely make the perfect gift for a little girl or boy who is into dancing or who loves interactive books.

For a closer look at the book, check out the 360 viewer at Random House's website.


More info:

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Board book: 14 pages
• Publisher: Robin Corey Books; Pop edition (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375847081
• ISBN-13: 978-0375847080
• Source: Review copy from publisher