The Game of Mix-Up Art (Game Of...(Phaidon))

As he did in Press Here, Tullet continues to explore the boundaries of book and game in this appealing wordless book, one of six new titles in the innovative Let's Play Games! series, which merges modern design with interactive free play. Each page is cut into three sections, allowing readers to mix-and-match colorful, abstract paintings that feature polka-dots, splotches, swirls, etc. The Game of Mix and Match, available simultaneously, lets readers do the same with familiar objects, animals, and shapes; other titles let children spot differences in scenes (The Game of Patterns), trace a winding fuzzy path (The Game of Let's Go!), use a flashlight to project shapes through die-cuts (The Game of Light), and turn their fingers into characters in a story (The Game of Finger Worms). Stylish and clever. Ages 3-up. (Mar.)

PreS-K--These board books take children into an imaginative world of games. Finger Worms contains a single cutout of a hole that goes right through the middle of the book; youngsters are encouraged to draw "two eyes and a mouth" on a finger and wiggle it to make a worm. Let's Go! is comprised of a single velvety green line; readers must close their eyes and trace their finger along it. The line takes on an obstacle course among cutout shapes and increases in difficulty as the route progresses. Light makes for a fun nighttime activity as simple cutout shapes on each page can be illuminated with a flashlight. In Mix and Match, each page contains four flaps that children can mix and match to create more than 50 pictures among familiar objects such as hearts, stars, and the sun. Similarly, Mix-Up Art contains colorful shapes and obscure patterns among zigzagged cut-page flaps that create new artwork and designs as different flaps are turned. Patterns provides the opportunity to point out as many patterns and similarities children can find on each spread. They increase in difficulty as the book progresses. All of the books have whimsical art done in bold watercolors. The books are appropriate for hands-on learning in early education settings or one-on-one with an adult to help youngsters develop finger dexterity and fine motor skills.--Janet Weber, Tigard Public Library, OR