FLIP FLAP OCEAN by Nosy Crow ; illustrated by Axel Scheffler Age Range: 3 - 5 ( Noisy Crow / Candlewick)

Split pages allow young Dr. Moreaus to create new animals by mixing and matching the tops and bottoms of a dozen sea creatures.

In this nautical variation on Flip Flap Farm (2014), accompanying labels and (anonymous) verses introduce a sea lion and then a shark that can be altered with a flip of either half page to become a “sea lark” or a “shion”—or, with the ensuing octopus, an “oction” or (going on) any of over 100 other chimerical creatures. Though the colors often clash violently, in his simply drawn paintings Scheffler designs the smiling figures so that the forms of the interchangeable parts match reasonably well, and the combination of spiral binding and heavy card-stock pages ensures at least some resistance to wear and tear. As a sort of bonus, the verses add light doses of fact: “You’ll see my fin from far away, / as it stands up so tall. / My jaws are full of pointy teeth— / I’ve hundreds all in all!”

New and pre-readers will flip. (Picture book/novelty. 3-5)