My 3 year old has outgrown lift the flap books. Is this a good next step?

That's the age it's for. Instead of a flap, each animal hides behind a rhyme. Cover the picture with your hand, read the two lines, let your child guess, then lift your hand. There are nine farm animals: sheep, rooster, pig, horse, goat, hen, cow, cat and dog.

Is it really a riddle book? My child loves riddles.

Yes. Every animal gives a two-line "who am I?" riddle in rhyme, like "Like a cloud, I'm fluffy and white. I come to you at night." A second rhyme adds a little more about each animal. When your child knows all nine by heart, we have 63 more free animal riddles on this site.

How long is it? We need something for quick bedtimes.

Short on purpose: about five minutes to read, a little longer with the guessing. There are only two lines on a page, which is why small children learn the rhythm after one reading and why you'll be asked for it again.

Is it calm enough for bedtime?

Yes. Nothing in it is scary, and the sheep even tells you to count sheep when you can't sleep. Save the phone or tablet for the daytime and read it plain at night. The book works fine without one.

Will a 5 or 6 year old still enjoy it?

Yes, in a different way. At 5 and 6 they read the rhymes themselves, shout the answers before you finish, and like making up riddles of their own. They're also the ones who scan the codes and film the animals standing on the floor.

Is it a good gift for a toddler or preschooler who has lots of books?

It's a little different from what they'll have: a riddle game in rhyme, and nine farm animals that step off the page in 3D on a phone or tablet, plus two secret horses. It's a paperback, $14.99 on Amazon, and it's a book, not a toy.

No. Point the phone's or tablet's normal camera at the code on the page and tap the link. The animal opens in the browser and, on a phone or tablet, can be placed on your floor.

iPhone and iPad (iOS 12 or newer) and Android phones and tablets with ARCore, which is most devices since 2018. Amazon Fire tablets show the 3D animal but cannot place it in the room.

We wrote it for ages 3 to 6. Younger kids love watching, older ones read the story themselves and take the videos.

Is it safe? What about the camera?

The camera view stays on your device. We don't collect photos, video or location, there is no account and no login. The page uses a cookieless visit counter and nothing else.

Isn't this more screen time?

About a minute per animal, standing in the room, usually with a grown-up. It ends with the tablet going down and the book staying open. The book works fine without a phone or tablet too.

An augmented reality picture book by Katia Sunn

Farm AnimalsA rhyming picture book of animal riddles

Name: Farm Animals
Price: 14.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Katia Sunn
ISBN: 979-8171972851

Farm Animals front cover: a kitten reaching for a butterfly — Front cover

Nine animal riddles in rhyme. Read one aloud and let them guess who is talking.

A rhyme to guess each animal
Nine barnyard friends
Each one stands on your floor

Ages: 3 to 6; Preschool and kindergarten
Pages: 46; Nine riddles in rhyme
Format: 8.5 × 8.5 in; Square paperback

Buy on Amazon · $14.99

Look inside Meet the rooster in 3D

No app to download. Each animal opens on your phone or tablet.

The trailer · 2:06

Guess who?

A short film made from the book's own pictures, cut out like paper, with Katia's words read aloud.

Turn the sound on and watch it together. Captions are in the player.

The story

Who is fluffy and white and comes to you at night?

Every animal on this farm introduces itself in two lines of rhyme, a small clue and a question hanging in the air: who am I? Read the rhyme before your child sees the picture and let them guess. The sheep, the rooster, the pig, the horse, the goat, the hen, the cow, the cat and the dog each get a page of their own, name and picture right beside their rhyme.

The rooster brags about his melody and the pig loves rolling in dirt. In chess, the horse says, they call him knight. As for the cat, she is an aristocrat who makes a mess when you are out. Small children learn the rhythm after one reading and start shouting the answers before you finish the clue.

Katia wrote it for the age when every animal sound is a joy and every guess is a win. It is short on purpose, which is why you will end up reading it four times in a row.

What stays with them

Guessing, and the pride of being right
Animal names and sounds, with a rhythm to them
Where milk, eggs and wool come from

Who you'll meet

Sheep
Like a cloud, fluffy and white.
Rooster
Wakes you at six. He rocks.
Pig
Chubby, pink, and in love with dirt.
Horse
In chess they call him knight.
Goat
Hops around and never hits the ground.
Hen
Her chicks follow on tiny feet.
Cow
Milk, yogurt and cheese come from her.
Cat
A lady. An aristocrat.
Dog
Loyal, and needs to be fed.

Farm animal jokes, with a true fact each →

Before you choose

Is it the right book for your little one?

What parents of 3 to 6 year olds ask us, answered straight.

My 3 year old has outgrown lift the flap books. Is this a good next step?: That's the age it's for. Instead of a flap, each animal hides behind a rhyme. Cover the picture with your hand, read the two lines, let your child guess, then lift your hand. There are nine farm animals: sheep, rooster, pig, horse, goat, hen, cow, cat and dog.
Is it really a riddle book? My child loves riddles.: Yes. Every animal gives a two-line "who am I?" riddle in rhyme, like "Like a cloud, I'm fluffy and white. I come to you at night." A second rhyme adds a little more about each animal. When your child knows all nine by heart, we have 63 more free animal riddles on this site.
How long is it? We need something for quick bedtimes.: Short on purpose: about five minutes to read, a little longer with the guessing. There are only two lines on a page, which is why small children learn the rhythm after one reading and why you'll be asked for it again.
Is it calm enough for bedtime?: Yes. Nothing in it is scary, and the sheep even tells you to count sheep when you can't sleep. Save the phone or tablet for the daytime and read it plain at night. The book works fine without one.
Will a 5 or 6 year old still enjoy it?: Yes, in a different way. At 5 and 6 they read the rhymes themselves, shout the answers before you finish, and like making up riddles of their own. They're also the ones who scan the codes and film the animals standing on the floor.
Is it a good gift for a toddler or preschooler who has lots of books?: It's a little different from what they'll have: a riddle game in rhyme, and nine farm animals that step off the page in 3D on a phone or tablet, plus two secret horses. It's a paperback, $14.99 on Amazon, and it's a book, not a toy.

Looking for more like it? We keep a list of rhyming and guessing books for ages 3 to 5, other publishers' books included, with how much guessing each one has.

Animal riddles from the book

Can you guess who is talking?

Three of the nine rhymes, word for word. Read one aloud and let your child guess before you show the picture.

More riddles like these: 63 animal riddles with free printable cards

Riddle 1
Like a cloud, I’m fluffy and white.I come to you at night.
Who am I?
The sheep!
Riddle 2
Close to the dawn, around 6 o'clockmy melody wakes you up. I rock!
Who am I?
The rooster!
Riddle 3
I am tall, in chess they call me knight.I can be brown, black or white.
Who am I?
The horse!

3D rooster from Farm Animals, ready to stand in your room in augmented reality

Drag to spin. On a phone or tablet this opens AR.

And then the magic

Meet the Rooster.

The rooster, from page 13. Close to the dawn, around six o'clock, his melody wakes you up.

Every animal in the story is also a real 3D model. Scan the code on its page and it stands in your room. The other 8 are waiting inside the book.

How the augmented reality works, step by step

Will it work on your phone or tablet, and is it screen time? Our parent's guide to augmented reality books

Google's 3D search has no rooster. See which animals it does have

Look inside

Turn the pages. Tap the codes.

Real pages from the book. Where a code is printed you'll find a sticker: tap it and that page's animal comes up in 3D.

The rest lives in the book.

46 pages, every animal ready to step out.

Buy on Amazon · $14.99

Cover

Swipe the page or use the arrows.Drag a corner or use the arrows. The tap me stickers sit where the codes are printed.

Free extras from this book

Keep the fun going after the last page.

More farm riddlesJust like the book's, with the answers

Farm animal jokesCow, chicken, pig and more

Scavenger hunt cluesRhyming clues to hide around the house

3D animals in your roomWhich animals Google still has, checked by hand

From the back cover

Nine animals live on this farm, and each one has a little rhyme to help you guess who it is. The sheep is soft as a cloud. The rooster wakes the farm at six. And the pig, the goat, the hen, the cow, the horse, the cat and the dog each have a rhyme of their own.

But there's a little surprise on every page. Scan the QR code with a phone or tablet, and the animal comes to life right in your room, standing on your floor in augmented reality. Walk around it, make it bigger or smaller, and film your little ones as they meet their new farmyard friends.

No app to install. Just scan, play and explore.

Katia Sunn

Questions parents ask

Before you buy

Anything else? Write to us, one of us answers.

Do I need an app?: No. Point the phone's or tablet's normal camera at the code on the page and tap the link. The animal opens in the browser and, on a phone or tablet, can be placed on your floor.
Which devices work?: iPhone and iPad (iOS 12 or newer) and Android phones and tablets with ARCore, which is most devices since 2018. Amazon Fire tablets show the 3D animal but cannot place it in the room.
What age is it for?: We wrote it for ages 3 to 6. Younger kids love watching, older ones read the story themselves and take the videos.
Is it safe? What about the camera?: The camera view stays on your device. We don't collect photos, video or location, there is no account and no login. The page uses a cookieless visit counter and nothing else.
Isn't this more screen time?: About a minute per animal, standing in the room, usually with a grown-up. It ends with the tablet going down and the book staying open. The book works fine without a phone or tablet too.