Elmo's Big Lift-and-Look Book (Great Big Board Book) by Joe Mathieu Baby-preschool 12 pages Random House February 1994 Board book     Elmo fans will adore Elmo's Big Lift-and-Look Book, which has more than 60 flaps that can be lifted to reveal a wide range of treats hidden behind each. It comes as no surprise that this entertaining, interactive, and educational book continues to be a top-seller more than ten years after its initial publication. The book starts with a depiction of a busy street, where flaps numbered from one to ten can be lifted to reveal objects ranging from one Big Bird to three monsters to six bats. On another page, Elmo is front and center presenting a stack of twenty-six blocks, each with a letter that, when lifted, reveals an item starting with it. The picnic scene, filled with traditional Sesame Street favorites, has flaps to teach children about shapes such as a triangular sail, a rectangular truck, and an octagonal stop sign. Opposites are taught through a picture of a dry Grover holding a hose, who behind the flap is soaking wet. Elmo hangs low on a monkey bar, but underneath the flap is flying high, and Oscar is in a closed trash can which is wide open underneath the flap. The final page is a bustling hide-and-seek adventure, where children will have to hunt under the flaps in a messy room to help Elmo locate his lost bear. My only criticism of this book is that the flaps are not particularly sturdy and will likely tear regardless of the amount of care exercised. Unfortunately, this flaw is a significant one because it is likely to be the only obstacle to prevent readers from reading the book again and again year after year.     web reviews   Lori West/2007 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)