Open This Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier, illustrated by Suzy Lee

Open the full-sized picture book and inside you find a series of nesting books, each smaller than the one before.  The stories in the books also nest with one another.  First the reader opens the Little Red Book and discovers ladybug who is opening the Little Green Book where frog is the character.  On and on it goes, until the story reaches a little twist in the little books.  Then the stories unwind as the books are closed one by one.  It’s impossible to not be charmed by the design and concept.

Debut author, Klausmeier has created a seamless partnership with illustrator Lee.  The book is so much a marriage of their work that one might think it was done entirely by one artist.  The story is simple yet fully engaging.  The problem you may have with little listeners is having them slow down opening the next book in time to read the words on the page.  Lee’s illustrations add to the charm, hearkening back to vintage picture books but still carrying a modern vibe.  The scale of the books is perfection, like opening a Russian nesting doll.

Engaging, interactive and oh so much fun, this book looks at colors, sequence and a love of reading.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.