Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Las Vegas, NV

Last month, I scored a free copy of Mask Parade: Forest Animals by Stephanie Trelogan and featured the illustration and design talents of Katharine Armstrong.  I must admit that I've had the book for a few weeks now and meant to write this review sooner, but I really wanted to see how it held the kids' interest and how it held up in a two-kid household.

From the moment you crack open this large board-style book, you are transported through a forest guessing game with bears, foxes, deer, raccoons, and more. A super-cool pop-out mask follows each riddle that the kids can put on and then look in the mirrored page to see their new identity.

My five year old and 18 month old loved it as we carefully pried out each mask. It was a delight.  You can see it for yourself here. The author even sent us a really cute CD with a song set to the book. The kids loved it, but Dad put the kibosh on loading it into the iPod, lest he be subjected to it over and over again on our next car trip. That said, we've used it a great incentive for picking up the toys at the end of the day.

My only worry about the book is its durability. You see, the masks do pop off and on the page and after about the fourth or fifth reading, they don't really pop back into their spots. As sturdy as the publisher attempted to make them, the handles on the masks got a bit bent up (especially in the toddler's hands) and we end up with masks at one end of the room and the book at the other all too easily.

If you're a parent who needs everything in it's place, then this book may give you a bit of a headache. But, if you can get past that and get caught up with your kids in the whimsy of the riddles, it's a lot of fun. Boo and Doodle love chasing each other around the house pretending to be one animal or another. It sparks the imagination and has entertained them for hours so far.

Thumbs up!