Let's get one thing straight right off the bat. Children love books with flaps. They can't get enough of them. And this book has many, many flaps--over 60, in fact. Something else: children are crazy about Thomas the tank engine. Translation? Very young readers will happily spend a lot of time lifting and learning with this big, bright, colorful board book. Early learning concepts are reinforced on each page, as readers are encouraged to explore their knowledge of colors, numbers, sizes, everyday objects, and the alphabet. Thomas the tank engine travels through the pages, starting out early in the morning in the train shed and moving through the stations, dropping off parcels and passengers, and finally ending up in the freight yard with car after car full of important objects to be delivered, such as milk, doors, a piano, a kangaroo, and xylophones. Children should be allowed to roam freely over the pages of this book, making up their own stories related to the pictures they discover under the flaps. (Ages 2 and older) --Emilie Coulter