ANIMAL SOUNDS

One kind of animal per page, one sound per animal, one word per page makes this an easy conversation starter with very young children, though a more accurate title might have been Farm Animal Sounds.

Tots will recognize the smiling pig, lamb, owl, horse, duck, cow, mice, and chicken that are depicted in cheerful cartoonish illustrations, each vocalizing appropriately: “Quack! / Moo!” Sturdy board pages with rounded corners and a glossy, wipeable finish will hold up to heavy use. Three other new titles in the Tiny Touch series are also available. Animal Colors follows the same format, presenting a single color and animal per page. Unfortunately, the cartoon palette does not translate to the colors of actual animals, and the chameleon used to illustrate (misleadingly) the rainbow is not named. Jungle Animals offers a mix of African and South American animals and, unfortunately, includes a giraffe, whose habitat is the savanna, not a jungle. Animal Babies includes just five animals and avoids factual missteps. These points may seem minor in a board book, but even babies and toddlers should be given accurate information, especially in a book that will be read again and again.

Buy where necessary for its cuteness—not for its facts.