Ten Fingers; Diamonds and Squares; Sunny or Cloudy; Blue Sky Blue

A set of cheerful lift-the-flap concept books, covering the usual topics - numbers, shapes, opposites and colours - painted in bright, jolly gouache. It's hard to be original with concept books - and indeed one might ask whether there is any need to as each new generation of toddlers comes to them fresh - but here flaps lift to reveal the relevant word or numeral, set in texts of variable style and quality. Some of the flaps give a slightly surreal air to the pictures, which are also short of talking points - and I don't think that 'Five birds... plus one big nest' makes six - but there is some value in the series as a whole.