Author: Sara Ball
Reviewed by Chloe Fuksa, Putnam Six Bookstore
Flip-O-Saurus is the first in a collection of interactive children’s books by Sara Ball, and it is delightfully unique. The book is held horizontally, and each page is split into three columns, for the head, body, and tail of a dinosaur. Kiddos can then mix and match the flaps to create different kinds of dinosaurs. Rather than a normal triceratops, say, they can make a stegorapsaurus. Or perhaps a tyrannoplocus or a deidotops! There are a thousand different combinations, so kids can let their imaginations run wild.
This book isn’t just for fun though; each flap also contains facts and explanations about the real dinosaurs. Kids can learn about their sizes and shapes, their eating habits, their defense mechanisms, and more. Plus, with that information, kids can then figure out what their made-up dinosaurs would be like. Does it make up for its short arms by having a spiky tail to fight away predators? Can an imaginary dinosaur have both wings for flying and a tail fin for swimming? Flip-O-Saurus is wonderful for this mix of sparking creativity while also being really informative.
This book’s target age range is 3-5 years, but it can certainly go much broader than that. The thick pages and hardback binding mean too that even with all that flipping and creating, it can hold up over time. The other books by Sara Ball – Mix-A-Mutt, Flip-A-Feather, and the just-released Build-A-Bug – are equally as neat, so kiddos can move right on to other animals once they’re done with the dinos!
Visit us in Sunset Plaza or call 580-297-5089 to get your copy of Flip-O-Saurus today!
