I received a review copy from the publisher. No other compensation was received.

Clap, Clap is the most fun I’ve ever had reading a counting picture book.  It has brought reading to an entirely different level and the giggles and enthusiasm my boys have when we read it is so satisfying.

Clap, Clap has everything you need to keep a little one engaged:  there are bright, bold colors, happy faces, onomatopoetic jubilations, and then on top of that the reader actively gives the two-dimensional characters motion by opening and closing the book.  In one spread you open and close the book to “DOING!” cymbals, another to have a person knock on a door, another to do sit ups, etc.  It’s very creative and a lot of fun.  The result is one of the most engaging and lively counting books I’ve ever come across.  (And we’ve certainly read plenty!)

From Clap, Clap by  Madalena Matoso.  Images used with permission.

More importantly, it makes my two-year-old son giggle, smile, and actually squeal when we read it.  I’ve never seen him respond to a book like this.  He carries Clap, Clap to bed, into the bike trailer, and begs to bring it into the car. He gets so excited when I read it to him and he always asks for me to read it again and again.  I’ve found him many times playing with the book by himself and it’s just the perfect book to compliment his two-year-old busyness.  Clap, Clap is an active, vibrant, and joyfully designed celebration of counting.

From Clap, Clap by Madalena Matoso.  Images used with permission.

The physical format of the book is well-thought-out and quite welcome.  It isn’t quite a board book and isn’t quite a picture book — but a happy hybrid of the two.  So it gives it the advantages of durability, but is still steps away from the board book babyishness so that my eldest and youngest are both equally included and intrigued.

From Clap, Clap by Madalena Matoso.  Images used with permission.

Clap, Clap has also been a fantastic book for my eldest son to read to my youngest.  There are mostly sound effects and a few very simple phrases, so this book gets to feel more like play and less like work for my eldest (who is an emergent reader).  I’ve been pleasantly surprised (read: very excited) to find them on the couch reading and playing with this book together.  What can I say, seeing my two boys bonding over a book gives me immense happiness.

I adore this book because it is beautifully illustrated and well-designed, engaging, fun, and how it deftly uses the whole book to make for a full experience.  But I love this book so much because it makes my boys laugh full-on and all out.  Clap, Clap deserves a standing ovation!

Recommended Ages 15 months+ . (My 5 and 2-year-old boys love it) Flying Eye Books. April 2016. 32 pages. ISBN:978-1909263826. Fiction.

Where to Get it:

• [Affiliate Link]:  Amazon.com
• [Independent Bookstore]: Indiebound.org
• [Library]: Worldcat.org — ask your library to order it.

Author and Illustrator Websites:

• Madalena Matoso

More Reviews of this Book:

• Kids’ Book Review
• Little Sleepy Bird
• Kirkus Reviews

Where Obtained:  I received a review copy from the publisher. No other compensation was received.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

FTC Disclosures:  Some of the links in the post above are Amazon affiliate links and others are IndieBound affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase something, I will receive an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Which goes to fund my family’s picture book habit.  It’s a vicious cycle, but we manage.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”