Children's books: "Explore Under the Earth" and "Explore the Rainforest" by Carly Madden

Explore Under the Earth by Carly Madden (Happy Yak)
Explore the Rainforest by Carly Madden (Happy Yak)

Diving into the world of picture books!

Explore Under the Earth takes Evie and her dog Juno down through the layers of—surprise—the earth, learning a bit about each layer as they go.

I love the varying sizes of the pages, which allow for something tactile and colorful. The order seems backwards to me (surely the pages should get smaller as Evie and Juno go down deeper into the earth?), though it would take a total and probably difficult rewrite to start at the earth's core and work outwards, so I can see why the author opted to do otherwise. It's easy to see how this concept would translate well to other shaped board books—a triangular mountain book, perhaps? Another partial circle for one about rainbows? The possibilities go on and on.

Young readers can continue Evie's adventures in Explore the Rainforest, which takes Evie and her dog Juno up, up through the layers of the rainforest, each page a bit larger as they climb through the trees.

This makes for a colorful and instructive read, with lots of layers in the illustrations and plenty of little details to attract young readers. The format is a lot of fun, combining whimsy and practicality. (The font is quite small, though—adults, have your reading glasses at hand!) Either of these would make a fun gift for a young child who is curious about the world.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing review copies through NetGalley.