Say Zoop! by Herve Tullet

Say Zoop! by Herve Tullet
Buy Say Zoop! by Herve Tullet at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Sam Tyler
Summary: A stripped back interaction book that has the fatal flaw of being far too long for most children's attention span.
Buy? No	Borrow? Maybe
Pages: 64	Date: August 2017
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 9781452164731
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The average toddler has the attention span of the time it takes to … SQUIRREL! Many modern children's books are packed full of flaps, textures and gimmicks in the desperate hope that they can draw the reader away from CBeebies for just five minutes. To grab them and keep them, your book should be short, punchy and fun. What you don't want to do is take a reasonable idea and play it out for page, after page, after page. What's that … SQUIRREL!

Interaction is a powerful tool in children's literature. Stories can be fun, but sometimes a baby/toddler just wants to grab things and have a whale of a time. Say Zoop! should be that book as you have to interact with every page. There are a series of dots and instructions that you must follow from saying a quiet oh on a small dot to a loud oh on a big dot. Tullet takes you down an avenue of adventure as the tasks and dots get trickier, but this is one avenue that will prove a little too long for many.

It is clear to see that Herve's heart was in the right place when designing Zoop!; it has a simple and universal appeal as children love to press things and make funny noises. It is just that to the average toddler it is not them that makes the noise themselves, but the toy or book. Zoop! continuously encourages you to press here and do that, but all the interaction comes from the reader. In truth this is a very flat book that does not do anything for itself.

If the book had been 12 pages this would not have been an issue. A toddler would learn to know what to do, but the book is not this short. It is not even 32 pages long, but 64. I am not usually one for advocating the shortening of children's books, but in this case the concept goes on for far too long. There will be very few children who will want to keep going all the way.

The art style is simple and appealing, but it won't keep a toddler coming back for more and more. This is a shame as the game gets twisty and turny as you make bird noises or robot noises, but 64 pages of the same type of things is not that appealing. Perhaps if flaps had been added the book would capture the attention more. As it is, the book feels a little like an art project being sold as a children's book. Parents may appreciate the stripped back art style and intriguing interaction, but a child will go back to their Peppa Pig book with the oink buttons.

A book that has quick interactions that remain fun throughout, seek SPLAT! by Jon Burgerman.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Say Zoop! by Herve Tullet at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Say Zoop! by Herve Tullet at Amazon.com.

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