WHAT DO YOU SEE?

See and name a plethora of objects, foods, and animals in this sunny, oversized board book.

Sitting somewhere between a traditional picture dictionary and a seek-and-find text, most pages are devoted to identifying labeled items that float in copious white space, but also included are four pages that invite readers to locate items from within a scene. Though both forms work, the seeking games are unpredictably spaced such that the book doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. Set against shiny white backgrounds, graphic representations are sorted into practical categories, such as “in the bathroom” or “animals,” all with strong potential for vocabulary-building. There’s a pleasing assortment of items depicted; a kitchen scene, for instance, includes a spoon and toaster but also a cookie jar and a cherry-red mixer. The illustrations lack subtlety and were created with primary colors and no shading. Though items are instantly identifiable, sometimes scale may confuse: A pig, for one, is portrayed as larger than an elephant. The seek-and-find pages, adjacent to the picture-dictionary pages, are sassier, full-bleed illustrations with busy, vividly colored backgrounds. Most items are fairly easy to locate, and a smattering of italicized typeset hints provide structure for the game.

Though it has a bit of an identity crisis, this board book will be a useful addition to little readers' shelves.