Collecting carrots becomes tons of fun with many surprises in this cute book, which works not only for the Easter season.

This board book has a nice, oval-ish form (avoiding harsh corners) and is robust enough to be dragged around and read more than a few times. It follows Hoppy Floppy, a rabbit, as he fills his basket and searches for carrots. The carrots remind of Easter eggs in so far that they're died in various colors. With the help of the reader (and flaps), Hoppy Floppy fills his basket.

The illustrations are colorful and carry a friendly atmosphere. Nature and the animals carry realistic tones while still remaining gentle and cartoon-ish. The flaps are well hidden with the landscape, giving the reader a little more searching to do...still very age appropriate. There are three flaps on each page, each holding a surprise underneath. On the last page, there's a spinning wheel, portraying all colors of found carrots, falling into the basket. I really enjoyed this last touch.

The text is simple as it introduces a new friend of Hoppy Floppy's on each page. It then asks the reader to find a certain color of carrot. It's cute, easy to understand, and gives a warming message of friendship and help others. Of course, the search for the carrots is tons of fun, and just happens to help with learning the colors as well. And it's a read which will, no doubt, be read again...and again...and again just to look for those carrots, if nothing else.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the hunt. ( )