Fun at the Fair

A first glance at the cover of this board book wonderfully displays bits and pieces of the rides as the differently-shaped pages overlap, mirroring the real-life experience of seeing a fair from afar. The unique amusement park theme is simply portrayed in a few pages with limited text and busyness, highlighting a few favorite attractions found at the fair: a merry-go-round, a train, a roller coaster, bumper cars, swirling swings, a ferris wheel, and different prize and concessions stands (ice cream, popcorn, and cotton candy). Ingela P. Arrhenius’ signature illustration style includes attractive colors, minimal but fun inclusion of design, toy-like characters (of a variety of ethnicities) often with rosy cheeks, and a few darling details (e.g. the cotton candy matching the vendor’s hair, the many fun hats included throughout the book, and the numbered bumper cars). Flipping through the uniquely-sized pages allows for a glimpse of upcoming and past visited pages and rides, encompassing you in the fair until you reach the back cover. While non-uniform pages can sometimes be off-putting, they feel intentional in this short, simple, and fun book that captures the zaniness of the fair in its illustrations and book shape.