Reviewed by: Mommy, Where Are You? Jeannette Hulick Gore, Leonid . Mommy, Where Are You?; written and illus. by Leonid Gore. Atheneum, 2009 32p. ISBN 978-1-4169-5505-4 $16.99 R 1-3 yrs Little mouse Ozzy awakes one morning to find no sign of his mother, so he runs outside to look for her. First he thinks he spies her behind a fence (a gray shape peeks through a die-cut hole in the fence), but after turning the fence-shaped flap, he discovers his error: "No, not Mommy. Only some silvery fountain grass." His search continues in this vein, with Ozzy thinking he spies Mommy near a rock, a garden, a tree, and a lake, but all to no avail. Finally, after his last attempt results in a close encounter with a sleeping cat, Ozzy runs home, where Mommy has just arrived, having been out gathering breakfast. Though this is a little long for some small listeners—this is one seriously missing Mommy—the book offers a winning [End Page 321] combination of guessing game fun, as kids try to anticipate what might actually be hiding behind each object flap, and comfy parental reassurance. Gore skillfully provides both repetition and variety for his audience, so both young listeners and their adults will find the story engaging as well as easy to follow. Gore's cheery acrylic illustrations are simply composed, and the layered colors (touches of yellow brighten a light blue sky) and textured application of the paint (some features, such as fur, appear to have been sponged on) add pleasing depth and sophistication to the images. The shaped flap pages, with their die-cut apertures for peeking through to the next spread, are organic extensions of the textual action, and the thick, sturdy paper should withstand a fair amount of toddler page-turning. Ozzy himself is an adorable little guy with a slightly oversized head and delicate peachy-pink nose, ears, tail, and limbs, and young children will easily identify with him. Combine this with other peek-a-boo titles for a hide-and-seek story session or just use it one-on-one as a prelude to some snuggle time. Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois