Jacques Duquennoy

Zoe, a lanky zebra, and Zack, a sometimes colorful chamelon, demonstrate opposites in this die-cut board book.

The cover has a cut-out, with a clear plastic insert, that reveals Zack jumping excitedly. The first spread shows Zoe and Zack dancing down their own sets of stairs. On the second page is a cut-out, revealing Zack. When this page is turned, it changes the images into Zoe and Zack going up the stairs. This pattern is repeated, with the two watching a bird in the cage, then setting the bird free, Zoe fighting off a biting mosquito and Zack slurping it down, Zack fixes Zoe's broken castle, and Zoe cheering up Zack by sharing her ice cream.

The opposites are more abstract than usual, focusing on emotions rather than concrete examples of direction or size. Zack changes colors to match the pastel backgrounds, from beige to blue, and simple illustrations decorate the pages with flowers, birds, blocks, and ice cream.

This is part of a series; the pages are thick and sturdy and children who have met the characters before will recognize their cute appearance.

Verdict: This is cute but a little abstract for my taste. An additional purchase for large board book collections.

ISBN: 9782747087001; This edition published 2018 by Tourbillion Editions; Borrowed from another library in my consortium… (altro)