Kirkus Reviews
An interactive egg hunt with turning-wheel and lift-the-flap elements.This board book begins by directing readers to find the hidden eggs. Each wheel—there are four in all set into the interior pages—has several different eggs on it, and turning it reveals an egg in a little die-cut window. Spinning it further hides the egg behind one of two lift-the-flap panels—two baskets, for example—and readers must guess behind which they'll find the egg they have chosen to track. A diagram on the back provides instructions for use, likely more helpful to caregivers than to little ones. There is no narrative in this book; it's simply page after page of different directives along the lines of "Guess which door!" As a result, the focus is really on manipulatives and the illustrations. Fortunately, Kirwan's spring-themed artwork is gorgeous. The backdrop of each page is flower- and leaf-themed with warm spring hues, echoing the artwork of Eastern European hand-stenciled Easter eggs, two of which appear at the end of the book. The animals, like the smiling snail and mischievous mice, are reminiscent of classic European fairy-tale creatures. The only human in the book is a dark-skinned child with tight, curly hair. The moveable pieces largely work, though at times the necessary white space under the flaps interrupts the illustration awkwardly, as when the child's hands suddenly develop large oval holes if the spinner is not in the correct position. Overall, it's more game than book.There is no real story, but the moving parts are fun, and the illustrations are beautiful. (Board book. 2-4)
Publishers Weekly
(Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
In this interactive board book, readers can nudge a side wheel to reveal tiny patterned eggs hidden behind flaps on each page: -Turn the wheel to choose an egg. Then, guess where the egg might be hiding.- As the wheel turns, readers can choose between two baskets, hands, cups, or other obscuring objects that the eggs are hidden in, behind, or under (-Guess which BASKET!... Guess which CUP!-). Kirwan-s illustrations, rendered in a spring palette, complement the spare text with a plenitude of details, including smiling critters, sweet blooms, and a freckled, brown-skinned child. Though the volume offers little narrative, its interactivity should provide plenty of guessing-game enjoyment for the youngest readers. Ages 2-4. (Feb.)