What is better than an Alain Crozon board book? TWO Alain Crozon board books!

Originally published in France (Éditions des Grandes Personnes © 2013), Chronicle Books has translated the texts of Who’s There? and All Shook Up! for English-speaking children. Chronicle Books has made a specialty out of translating and publishing French children’s book. If a book is a hit in France, look to Chronicle Books to have it in their catalog.

Who’s There? and All Shook Up!

Written and Illustrated by Alain Crozon
Chronicle Books        8/01/2015
978-1-4521-4014-8 and 978-1-4521-4013-1
12 pages      Age 2—4

“Spot sweet surprises with each lift—or swing—of a flap! Who’s There? Cheep! Cheep! Who is cuddled under Mama’s wing? Buzz! Buzzzz! Who has landed on that flower?

“In All Shook Up, young readers get animals moving an grooving with each lift—or swing—of a flap! Make a butterfly flitter away. Tug an unexpected pop-up to make a wide-eyed hippo stick out his tongue!

“Bold, graphic, and hilarious, these novelty books are perfect for interactive reading and playtime fun!” [press release]

Review
Who’s There? Set up in a question and answer format, the book begins with a blue egg, cracked across the middle.

“CRICK! CRACK!
“Who is hatching out of that blue egg?”

Lift the flap at the crack and what do you find? You will find a little blue and yellow turtle, hiding his eyes. I bet you thought it would be a baby blue bird. Nope! But there’s more. Help the turtle move its arms away from its face and what do you see? You see a bright-eyed turtle, probably wondering who you are.

Young kids will enjoy flipping flaps over to find the answer to each question—one per page. Some answers are what you might expect, while others will be a surprise, such as the fox.

“What sweet treat does he like to eat?”

The digital illustrations are simple, straightforward, and easily recognized. The color palette is bright and friendly. Little hands should not need any help lifting the flaps, which, along with the pages, are thicker than normal for a lasting treasure of fun.

All Shook Up! The flipping fun continues as young children help animals move. Instead of asking a question, the author now lets the reader know how to help each animal.

“FLUTTER those feathers! One, two. One, two.

“Fly away into the blue!”

The yellow chick, wide eyes looking at you, wants to fly away. You can help by flapping its wings in and out. A butterfly wags its four wings at the reader and an elephant shakes its ears and swings its trunk. Young children will love moving the animals around so they can kick, swing, wiggle, and even stick out their tongue! Full of laughs, All Shook Up will be a repeat favorite with kids.

The digital illustrations continue the same simple, straightforward, kid-friendly patterns and bright color palette as found in Who’s There? Along with the text defining how to move the animals, there are arrows guiding the direction, making All Shook Up easier for children to play with on their own.

I really like the great construction and the play component of Alain Crozon’s books. Chronicle Books made a smart choice when they began translating Crozon’s books for English-speaking kids. His books are a wonderful introduction to—and helps foster a love of—reading. Who’s There and All Shook Up will keep young children entertained as they learn about movement, animals, and the joy of surprises.

WHO’S THERE? and ALL SHOOK UP! Text and illustrations copyright © 2013 by Alain Crozon. Reproduced by permission of the U. S. publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

Purchase Who’s There? at Amazon—Book Depository—IndieBound Books—Chronicle Books.

Purchase All Shook Up! at Amazon—Book Depository—IndieBound Books—Chronicle Books.

Learn more about Who’s There? and All Shook Up! HERE and HERE.

Meet the author/illustrator, Alain Crozon, at his biography: http://repertoire.la-charte.fr/repertoire/i1262-alain-crozon
Find more board books at the Chronicle Books website:  http://www.chroniclebooks.com/

Also by Alain Crozon
Who Am I?
Who Am I? Sports!
Who Am I? Wild Animals
What Am I? Christmas
What Am I? Halloween!
I Can Roll!
I Can Fly!
.          . —and many more/in various languages

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Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved
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Full Disclosure: Who’s There? & All Shook Up! by Alain Crozon, and received from Chronicle Books, is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”