Hello, friends! Our book today is Don’t Blink! by Tom Booth, a charming little tale of an epic staring contest.

A little girl sits cross-legged, staring at the reader, when a bird happens by and inquires as to what she’s doing. The girl explains that she is having a staring contest with “this kid”, pointing to the fourth wall, and the bird asks to join in. The girl welcomes the new player, and instructs the bird: “Just don’t blink!”. A fox shows up next, then an alligator, both asking to join the contest as well. Soon a whole menagerie has appeared, all holding on and trying not to blink. But all at once, they do. After a brief discussion of who the winner was, the animals depart – except for a tortoise who has been slowly making his way across the page all this time. He asks to join in the next round, and the girl and tortoise begin a rematch against the reader.

This was really cute. It’s a simple, straightforward tale that combines an adorable collection of animals, a great interactive premise, and fun dialogue-driven text with multiple voices that make it a delight to read aloud. The illustrations are darling, with the girl and each creature bright-eyed and full of character. JJ adored identifying all the animals, and loved the repetition of the “Don’t Blink” gag. The length is great for a quick read, and we really enjoyed it. Baby Bookworm approved!