Black Plus: A Cut-Paper Book

Belgian cut-paper artist Tamarkin combines subtle paper engineering with boldly contrasting colors in this playful wordless offering. Flaps incorporated into black animal silhouettes lead to colorful transformations. An elephant’s ear opens to show a purple polka-dot interior with a heart at its center, and a black butterfly turns lavender, dotted with large, brightly colored spots (a tiny ladybug also appears to be hitching a ride) when readers flip its wing. Lifting the flap on a cat’s head reveals a yellow face with a heart-shaped nose and teardrop eyes, making it seem as though the cat has turned its head to look back at the reader. The glued-in dots, hearts, and other shapes add an additional understated tactile element to this engaging interplay between shapes and colors. Available simultaneously: White Plus. Ages 3–up. (July)