Sometimes you read a book and it hits you just right. Sometimes that book is targeted at your pre-reader…but you know deep down that it was written just for you. Written by somebody who has had the same experiences, the same brain-drain, and the same exhaustion after a hard day…only to be confronted with a youngster with the energy of 10 normal people. Wild! Playtime is one of those books.

In 12 short pages, this wonderful board book shows animal parents and their offspring enjoying their time together. You can almost hear the giggles and cries of delight as the young ones get to play with their parents…and you can clearly see the wonder in the parents’ eyes as they ponder how someone so small can have so much energy.

Hectic Grandson and I have read through this book a number of times recently, and it never fails that he won’t sit still while we’re reading. For some reason he has to climb on me, put his foot in my face, or roll all over me. It’s obvious that he gets the point of the book…even as I sigh and try to get him to sit. It finally dawned on me that I’m the one who wasn’t getting it.

For as short as this book is, it’s engaged us for up to 30 minutes at a time…and somehow we end up wrestling by the end. Then when I’m completely tuckered and worn out, Hectic Grandson ends up climbing all over me…just like the young lion on the cover!

We highly recommend Wild! Playtime!