Open the Barn Door
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Page Grabbers stage.
Why it fits Page Grabbers (for young toddlers who treat books as things to do)
Flap after flap of farm animals and their sounds. Animal sounds are a toddler's first vocabulary victory lap. Simple, sturdy, and reliably adored.
What makes it special
It's the animal-sounds exam every toddler is dying to take, administered by flaps. The sturdy, cheerful barnyard art keeps each reveal simple enough for the youngest players. Call-and-response with paper — no notification chime has ever produced a prouder 'MOO!'
From the publisher
A lift-the-flap book revealing what you can find in a barn, in a sty, under a hen, and more. On board…
About Christopher Santoro
Christopher Santoro has illustrated dozens of children's books across four decades, from pop-ups to dinosaurs; Open the Barn Door remains his evergreen — a first-flaps book that generations of toddlers have loved to pieces.
Also by this author: Book of Shapes · Little Grunt and the Big Egg (illustrator)
More from “Books That Do Things”
This book is part of The Best Books for Toddlers: 30 Teacher Picks (Page Grabbers) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.