WOLF CRUNCH!

Youngsters pull a tab to manipulate a wolf cub’s mandible.

Said tab is located on the top of each alternating page, and little fingers can easily use it to raise a sturdy panel with a jagged lower edge that resembles teeth. Wolf cub Harry, it turns out, has playful rather than carnivorous tendencies, and he wants only to scare and tease the sheep and bunnies he meets in the forest. The companion book, Crocodile Snap, uses the same interactive feature but features a croc named Brock. Brock doesn’t want to scare anyone and is a little frustrated that all his fellow water creatures run away when he flashes his teeth. In the end, a boatload of tourists finally appreciates and takes pictures of his smile. While little ones will have fun chomping and enjoy Costamagna’s friendly cartoons in flat, highly saturated colors, these titles are scant on story despite the dense-for-the-format text. Harry comes across as a bit of a bully, and Brock registers as clueless. Also, in a serious design flaw, critters on adjacent pages are often visible through Harry’s and Brock’s open mouths, which makes them look as though they’re being eaten.

Big on gimmick, slight on story. (Board book. 2-4)