Don't tickle the hippo! by Sam Taplin
Illus. by Ana Martin Larranaga. Touchy-Feely Sound book. Usborne,
2019. ISBN: 9781474968713. 10pp., board book
"Don't tickle the hippo - you might make it snort!" But, of
course with its touchy-feely patch being too tempting to leave
alone, the littlest reader is going to tickle it - and won't they
get a surprise when they do (if the adult has turned on the switch
for the sound effects!).
This is another series in this new generation of board books that
invites the child to interact with the text and the illustrations,
to find the fun in the print medium and start to build up an
expectation that stories are fun, that they have a part to play in
making them come alive and they have the power to do so. Each
creature makes its own sound when the patches are felt and the
cacophony at the end of the book makes for a satisfying conclusion.
It will become a firm favourite bound to generate a thousand giggles
as the child is in control.
Barbara Braxton