Kirkus Review

Three friends play hide-and-seek on the playground and demonstrate their various locations with preposition words.Fox counts to 10 while Bear and Owl hide. Fox begins to search and finds Bear "INSIDE" the castle rather than "OUTSIDE"; then together they search for Owl "IN" the tubular slide and "BESIDE" it, ultimately finding their friend "ON" top ofthe slide. Taking turns as seeker, all three explore a variety of opposing prepositions, including "IN FRONT OF" versus "BEHIND"; "OVER" versus "UNDER"; "BETWEEN" versus "AMONG." But when Bear takes a turn and looks for his pals "ACROSS the bridge" and "all AROUND the playground" and cannot find them, Fox and Owl emerge to greet their sad and lonely companion with a hug. Simple, childlike, black-outlined drawings with muted hues feature a tree-lined, familiar park playground scene. The basic narrative offers just enough intrigue for toddlers and preschoolers, who will count out loud and spot several hiding places as pointy fox ears are just visible behind a bush or owl peeks out above a tree. Page turns are thoughtfully timed, often occurring in between pairs of opposites, a technique that helps to reinforce the concept and further engagement with the plot.Interactive and fun, an effortless way to learn new vocabulary. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.