What’s Below?

In a series of five pop-up scenes, Gifford and McLelland reveal what lies beneath the canopy of the rain forest, a wintry field, the site of a paleontological dig, the ocean, and the city streets. Opening each spread causes a diorama-like scene to emerge: horizontal panels create, for example, the surface of the ocean, where seals lounge on a rock and a cruise ship sails by; underneath, the aquatic world springs to life as three-dimensional coral reefs take shape, dotted with sea turtles, rays, an octopus, and more. The direct, straightforward text name-checks numerous objects and animals (“Down on the forest floor, jaguars look for prey and a giant anteater pokes its snout into a termites’ nest”)—an open invitation for seek-and-find explorations of each scene. It’s an appealing and well-designed glimpse at things that often go unseen. Ages 5–up. (Jan.)