Ploof

PreS-Gr 2–Children fond of interacting physically with their books will enjoy playing with Ploof—a small, ungendered white cloud with great big eyes—who, if properly asked and encouraged, can change shape with page turns to a star or all sorts of animals, be freed from an entangling tree with a shake, and go for rounds of seek and find by blending in with a crowd of kites or a herd of woolly sheep. “Oh! Yes! There! You’re great at spotting.” And if blowing too hard to plump up and move Ploof around runs a risk of some unsanitary spitting, a congratulatory high five slap, no matter how vigorously delivered, shouldn’t do much damage. Better yet, a goodbye wave and then a hug at the end offers both a sense of resolution and a gentle way to close the book. A very simple, low-key alternative to Hervé Tullet’s Press Here and its higher energy ilk.