• Age: 3 to 7
• Grade: p to 2
• Reading age: 3 to 7

In this fun, interactive game of hide-and-seek, young children learn all about positional prepositions. Bear, Fox and Owl are playing hide-and-seek in a woodland playground. They each take a turn counting to ten, then shouting “Ready or not, here I come!” When Fox finds Bear INSIDE the castle and Owl ON the slide, Bear hugs Fox and Owl. When Owl spots Bear BEHIND the climbing wall and Fox UNDER the bench, Bear hugs Fox and Owl again! But when Fox and Owl are not BETWEEN the swings, AMONG the trees, THROUGH the tunnel or ACROSS the bridge, Bear is the one who needs a hug. Will Fox and Owl come out of hiding to help their friend?

Preschoolers will love joining in with the repetitive counting and calling out the familiar “Ready or not, here I come!” This is a perfect, playful picture book for storytime. It's also a lively concept book that will help children develop early language skills. It will inspire children to look for their own hiding spots under, behind or between things. Sakshi Mangal's adorable illustrations bring the characters and the loving bond they share to life with humor and a light touch. The characters' interactions offer a positive, reassuring message of caring for friends, terrific for encouraging strong personal development.

Sakshi Mangal is naturally drawn toward the fascinating world of children's book illustration--- the bold colors and scribbly lines inspire her work. Drawing inspiration from her own childhood, she finds immense joy in imagining the world through children's eyes where bears are getting ready for a tea party and the squirrels are dancing to Spring. She grew up in the colorful city of Mumbai, India, and then moved to England to complete a master's degree from the Cambridge School of Art in Children's Book Illustration. Since then, she has been illustrating and developing picture books from her home studio in Vancouver, Canada, where she spends her day creating new book ideas and working on her favorite picture book projects. Every year, Sakshi spends months in her hometown, Mumbai, to seek inspiration from its rich cultural heritage, the colorful bazaars and centuries-old streets, and to explore the mouthwatering Indian cuisine.

Sakshi Mangal's profile page

R. D. Ornot lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with her family. This is her first picture book.

R.D. Ornot's profile page

Interactive and fun, an effortless way to learn new vocabulary.

Kirkus Reviews

Hide-and-Seek ... supports a variety of early learning concepts ...—CM Magazine