Hello, friends! Our book today is Where Birdie Lives by Elena Tsvetaeva, a fun lift-the-flap board book that explores animals’ homes.

Spying a small blue bird flying by, the white dog asks “Are you flying home? Where do you live?” Passing by all manner of animal homes – such as burrows, trees, ponds, etc. – the dog peeks under the flaps of the book to find which spot the birdie calls home (with the reader’s help, of course). He finds all sorts of forest critters, but the birdie is nowhere to be found. At last, following the direction of some helpful squirrels and an owl, he spies the birdie in its nest atop a tree. And as nighttime falls, birdie and dog both snuggle into their beds for sweet dreams.

Very cute. Following a simple storyline across a lovely sunset-colored setting, the littlest bookworms will have fun discovering the animals hidden in the pages. The utilization of the lift-the-flap is very well done here, wherein the author chooses to hide the animals and revealing bits of text under flaps that are camouflaged to look like the nature surrounding them – the three tiny frogs, each hidden behind a lily blossom petal were an especially cute touch. The illustrations of the animals are a bit strange, even occasionally off-putting to my eyes – especially the freckled, human-eyed dog – but JJ REALLY seemed to enjoy them, so that may simply be a question of personal taste; plus, it’s hard to deny the darling image of the little birdie tucked under a blanket for bedtime. The length is perfect for the smallest bookworms, and overall it was a sweet and entertaining read. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)