Hide and Seek

Carter mixes the sculptural abstraction of White Noise (2009) with the seek-and-find aspect of Walter Wick's books in an intricate fusion of art, color, and paper engineering. Readers (with parental help, likely) can catch references to artists like Mir%C3%B3, Calder, and Picasso, as well as the cubist and Dada movements, amid the brightly colored structures that spiral out from the pages. Intersecting panels rise from a warped checkerboard background in one scene, as readers turn dials and pull tabs to find "A white snowflake and a black cat in a top hat." The maturity of the book's design, influences, and even requests (the first spread asks readers to locate an arabesque) communicate Carter's %E2%80%A8respect for his audience. Ages 5%E2%80%93up. (Oct.)