Board Book Round-Up – February 2020.

 

Baby Goat and Baby Kitten. Illustrated by Yu-Hsuan Huang.

Animal behaviours.

Wake up, explore, play, and end the day with some baby animals. These beautiful board books incorporate finger puppets of baby animals so that different behaviours can be acted out as the text is read.

These books introduce the idea that other animals sound and act differently, but that maybe they are not so dissimilar to ourselves. Little animals wake up, they interact with their mothers, play, eat and explore just like little people. Building this empathy will help the reader to treat other animals with respect and kindness, and to decrease fear when meeting these creatures in the real world.

These books are also incredibly cute. I had never been sold on puppet books when I saw them in bookshops. Then I tried the puppet out. It works just as well as puppetry in other forms. The illustrations provide a landscape for the play.

These would make a lovely gift for a new baby.

Baby’s Very First Faces. Illustrated by Jo Lodge.

High contrast pages. Mirror.

New babies love to look at faces. They also love high-contrast pictures.

This book has been designed with the very tiniest readers in mind. Make no mistake – we can learn reading beahviours long before we speak a sentence. Reading isn’t just about vocabulary. It is about communication and fun and knowing that there is a secure space at the end of every day. Reading is about so very much more than words and this book reminds us of that.

With striking black-and-yellow designs and crinkly sounding pages, this book is strong on sensory experience.

The three words inside here – Daddy, Mummy, and Baby, are words that lots of children learn earliest of all. This is, of course, only one family model – if it helps at all, the words are on separate pages, so it is possible to pick out the ones most relevant to the young reader in question.

The soft pages also encourage lots of cuddling-up and lots of practice in turning pages.

 

Bake A Rainbow Cake! by Amirash Kassem.

Colours. Baking terminology.

Cut it. Fill it. Frost it. Sprinkle it.

Run through the process of baking a rainbow cake. With tabs and wheels and colourful illustrations, this is the perfect book not only to practice the colours of the rainbow but to introduce words and concepts associated with baking.

Little people are great bakers. Sure, there are things they can’t do, like use a knife or put trays into the oven, but all that mixing? And sprinkling? And using their hands to roll things into shape? The sooner small people get into the kitchen – under supervision – the better.

This is a wonderful book to run through what the experience of baking might look like. It has a great play factor. Turning a wheel to add food colouring. Pulling a tab to see cakes rise. There is plenty of scope for adult – mini-reader talk, which will introduce even more wonderful vocabulary.

This is the first board book I have seen about baking, and it is fabulous.

Fun At The Fair by Ingela P Arrhenius.

Motion. Location-specific vocabulary. 

Welcome to the funfair. 

The roller coaster goes up then down. The wheel spins round and round. There’s so much for small people to watch at a fair, long before they are big enough to go on the rides. 

Fairs are great for talking about motion. Spinning. Sliding. Up and down. Twirling around. Not to mention what they do for the imagination. Where on earth do such magical places come from? What might happen when the wheel reaches the top? Where does the little train go when it disappears inside the tunnel? 

The design of this book imitates the experience of visiting a location in real life. Instead of seeing things one at a time, the pages are all different shapes and sizes. As one thing is in the foreground, others can be seen in the distance. 

A beautiful addition to the series. 

 

Let’s Go series (On A Ferry and On A Rocket) by Rosalyn Albert and Natalia Moore.

Vehicles and new settings.

All aboard. Let’s Go!

Climb on board different vehicles and get set for adventure. Sail up to the moon in a rocket, or ride the waves and watch out for dolphins from the deck of a ferry.

This beautiful series not only introduces new vehicles, but it also introduces new locations. It is also one of the few times I have seen children of all genders and skin tones at the helm of big and exciting vehicles. Too often, the books feature a single blonde boy wearing glasses and dungarees. Possibly with a cheeky grin. There is such a child in this series, but there are six children in total and the representation is far broader than normal. Research shows that children form ideas about gender limitations by the age of two. Two change this, we need books like these that challenge stereotypes and prove that everyone can grow up to command ferries and rockets.

Two children share each adventure, so this is also a great series to promote friendship and working together.

With heaps of excitement and positive message, this belongs on every nursery bookshelf.

 

 

Ninja, Ninja, Never Stop! by Todd Tuell. Illustrated by Tad Carpenter.

Movement. Sibling relations.

The popular picture book is now available in board book form. 

Little ninja is very busy. He runs. He climbs. He chops. Little ninja never stops. As the words follow his adventures, the pictures tell the emotional narrative. This little ninja is watched by a small brother. At first, the little brother is ignored. Then Ninja’s activities cause upset. As he makes it up, he finds out that his little brother is, in fact, the perfect partner. The story ends with the pair dressed up together, kicking, jumping, and chopping. 

For small readers, this book is a brilliant way of introducing vocabulary around movement. It is also good for talking about friendly relationships – with siblings and with other children. 

The rhyme is as fast-paced as Ninja’s actions. It would be fun – in the correct space – to read it and allow small readers to act out some of the movements. 

High-flying, jumping, kicking fantastic fun. 

 

Noisy Farm by Rod Campbell.

Farm terminology. Animal names. 

It’s daybreak at the farm. Soon all the farm animals are waking up and making different noises. What other sounds can be heard around the farm? Lift the flaps to find out what else is going on around the farm. 

Tiny people have such a lot to learn – and they learn with all of their senses. Noises,  smells and tastes can be just as new and confusing as anything they see. This book is perfect for introducing small people to the things they might see and hear in the countryside, and especially around a farm. It is also perfect for introducing animal names. 

A potentially unknown and frightening location is made friendly with the inclusion of baby animals. The message throughout the book is that animals have parents and babies too. 

This book is such a classic that I remember it from my own infancy. There is a gentleness to the narrative and illustrations that helps the young reader to feel comfortable with the idea of other animals. 

 

 

 

Who Loves Books? by Lizi Boyd.

Who loves books? Is it you?

On a sunny day, Squirrel sails her boat along the bank handing out books. She has lots of takers. All the way along the bank, little animals appear to make use of her floating library. All except Raccoon, who sneaks along the bank keeping track of the boat. This not only creates a fabulous hide and seek game, but it builds in some suspense as we are kept waiting to learn whether Raccoon will, eventually, get a book to read. 

The design is beautiful. With full-size and half-size pages, it is possible to create different layouts – to match the stream on the bottom half of the spreads with different backgrounds. 

The colour palette, with its summery greens and light pastel blues, is perfect for a calming shared read. 

A lovely way to share some positivity and excitement about books with tiny readers. 

 

Thanks to Abrams And Chronicle Kids, Catch A Star, and Macmillan Children’s Books for gifting the titles in this feature. Opinions my own.

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Board Book Round-up (October 2019).

 

A Marvelous Museum and A Forest’s Seasons by Ingela P Arrhenius.

Learn the seasons of the forest, and take a walk through different museum exhibits with these fantastic Bookscape Books.

Why should all the pages of a book be the same size and shape? It is something we all take for granted, yet the world is full of such interesting shapes. When we look across the different distances of a landscape, we see things of all shapes and sizes. This idea works especially well in the board book format. The pages are sturdy enough to hold it, while all the different colours and images peeking out at the start are irresistible to little readers.

The books themselves are simple introductions to two places – museums and forests. The forest book focuses on seasons, as if one forest is changing over time, while the museum book looks at a wide variety of exhibits. These would be lovely to give to a small child who is going to a new place for the first time, to talk them through what they might see and hear.

 

Animal Homes by Clover Robin

We often pass by animal homes without even knowing it. From underground warrens to beehives, lodges, and the nests in the trees, other animals are all around us, and their homes are more incredible than we could possibly imagine.

Clover Robin is a designer whose children’s books always win my heart. She specialises in nature and botanical designs, and her work always seems to come from careful observation. She captures more than the shape, getting right to the very spirit of her subjects.

Animal Homes is a lift-the-flap book that takes its audience seriously. It is too easy to underestimate tiny readers and to offer them watered-down explanations, but doing so forgets that tiny people are always learning and looking and drinking the world in. Anybody who has ever spoken to a small child knows that they are always observing or questioning something. Animal Homes takes them right inside nests and hives, lodges and warrens, and allows them to explore the worlds of their fellow creatures.

Little bites of information surround the pictures. This is a book that will grow with the reader, taking them right into early information books already prepared to learn. Top marks for design, level of knowledge and sheer wonder factor.

 

5 Wild Shapes by Camilla Falsini.

Circles and triangles. Hexagons and squares. Our world is full of shapes and lines. Learning their names and appearances is the first step in understanding their properties.

This book is instantly attractive, with primary-coloured backgrounds populated with funny creatures. At a second glance, these animals are made up of different shapes, with plenty of strong examples to point out (the fox, for example, has a triangular nose).

At the centre of each spread is a shape, cut away from the rest of the board so that it can be traced around by little fingers. There is also a disk to chase around each shape so that readers can guide a little insect around the outlines of the shapes. Tactile learning is a brilliant way into early geometry – the more familiar readers are with tracing the shapes, the more confident they will feel when they come to drawing and identifying them.

This book is beautifully designed, balancing fun with early learning. The large format makes the game more fun, and there are plenty of things for a young reader to look at and enjoy.

 

A to Z Menagerie by Suzy Ultman

Enter the wonderful world of the alphabet with this delightful book of letters and words. Look at the pictures. Touch the cut-out letters, and pull the tabs to see them come to life. Trace their shape with your fingers. Learning to read has never been more exciting.

Essentially this book is two things – it runs through the alphabet, and it introduces first words alphabetically, with illustrations. Its design makes it one of the most delightful A-Z books I have encountered, with doodle-style drawings in pastel colours. It is so beautiful that people will pretend to pick it for their children just so they can enjoy it themselves.

The pull-the-tab feature changes the cut-out letters from white to decorated. The tabs also feature an extra word, related to the design.

The spellings and words are American – as the title suggests if you make it rhyme – so what Brits would call ‘aubergine’ is down as ‘eggplant’, for example. Personally, I think this is fantastic because children today live in a global world where they will encounter different formats of English online on a daily basis. Introducing them to these words early prepares them for this reality.

A fantastic introduction to letters and words.

 

Can You Find? series by Nancy Bevington. 

The world is full of adventures for little people. The forest, the farm, the beach, and the ocean all represent new and exciting possibilities.

The Can You Find? series introduces vocabulary specific to different places. Throughout the book, there are labeled illustrations, which show is there to be discovered. At the end of each book is a wonderful reminder of everything which has been introduced. A smaller version of every illustration is included on this double-page spread. This gives the reader (especially older board book readers) an opportunity to test their memory and see if they can name all the pictures. 

It is always great to have books that introduce new words and a new understanding of our world. A fantastic and fun series. 

 

Goodnight, Rainbow Cats by Bàrbara Castro Urio. 

Who is asleep in the big white house? 

One one side of every spread is a house. The cut-through windows show colours – the colours of the cats already indoors and asleep. On the other side of the spread, the next cat comes creeping up to the door. 

There are cats of all different colours. Essentially, this book teaches readers words for colours. At the same time, it is great fun, with a narrator who talks directly to the cats, and a clever cut-through design. 

A simple concept done to perfection. This is a beautiful book and would be top of my list for anyone looking to introduce colours to small people. 

 

Everybody’s Welcome by Patricia Hegarty. Illustrated by Greg Abbott.  

Everybody’s welcome, no matter who they are. A group of animals meets in the forest. Every one of them has been forced to leave their old home, whether by predators or for environmental reasons. They all band together, united by one principle: everybody is welcome. The little animals search for a space to build a safe home. 

Given the state of the world, and the attitudes which children might pick up about people who are searching for a safe place to live, it is important to teach them other values early on. It is also a lovely message for children to learn before they go to nursery. Learning to share and collaborate is always a good thing. 

A gentle and beautiful story. 

 

Little Explorers – Goodnight Forest and Goodnight Ocean by Becky Davis. Illustrated by Carmen Saldaña.

Whisper goodnight to the forest and the ocean, and learn what they look like during the nighttime. 

Beautiful peep-through pages build up a landscape that is almost 3D. It reminded me of a paper puppet theatre, but an exceptionally beautiful one, with details from later pages visible as you read. Fun facts surround the illustrations, explaining how different creatures behave when the sun goes down. 

A rhyming couplet heads each page so that the book can be read as a bedtime rhyme. 

The combination of design, lullaby, and fact-file is a winner. I love it when books do more than one thing at once, especially with board books because it allows the book to grow with the reader. If you are looking for something attractive and clever, give this series a try. 

 

Thanks to Abrams and Chronicle Books, Catch A Star Books, Little Tiger Press, Nosy Crow and Quarto Kids for my gifted copies of the titles featured in this round-up. Opinions my own.

Review: Apple by Nikki McClure.

An apple is picked from the tree. It is forgotten, thrown on the ground, buried, and in time a shoot grows from the earth. This beautiful board-book uses papercuts and minimal words to explore the life-cycle of the apple. 

The perfect book to read as the Harvest comes around. 

Early autumn is my favourite time of year, with fruit on the trees, sunshine and cool breezes which make it perfect for walking. Our village has a large number of apple trees and previous years have brought apple-pie, apple and blackberry crumble and fresh apples in the fruit bowl. Since living here, I have felt more in touch with where our food comes from, and this book is the perfect introduction to exactly that. 

It’s generous, full-page illustrations open lots of conversation about the harvest, composting and growing. 

The illustration is not only beautiful, it is also attractive to the adult reader. Board books begin as a supervised activity, and it is lovely to see one with art that the adults can engage with. Not that the book is aimed at them, but this might encourage big readers to look closer and point out details to the young listener. It would also be lovely to make apple pictures together with black and red crayons. 

At the back, there is an explanation of life-cycles and seasons which would be lovely for older siblings who share in the reading. 

An attractive and engaging book to introduce the science behind food growth. 

 

Thanks to AbramsAppleseed for my gifted copy of Apple. Opinions my own.

Review: I thought I saw a … series by Lydia Nichols

I thought I saw a penguin. Is it behind the sunshade?

A trip to the beach gets exciting as a penguin pops up in different places, while a monkey causes havoc in a supermarket. Everywhere is made more exciting by the appearance of an animal friend, and what better game to play than hide-and-seek. 

Slide the picture across, around and up and down. A sandcastle pops up, doors open and close and monkey slides out behind the shelves. These innovative sliders add heaps of fun as the animals are found in whole new ways. Readers will enjoy guessing and remembering how the animal will be revealed. 

There’s heaps of fun to be had on a trip outside. 

These books are not only great games, but they also introduce different things which happen in ordinary locations. Vocabulary is built as the reader is introduced to location-specific words like sunshade, beach hut and parasol. This will be absorbed without anybody noticing – they’ll be having far too much fun with the sliders to realise that they are learning. 

While the cardboard is sturdy and the sliders are friendly to little fingers, they also move in complex ways. It is recommended that this book is shared with an adult or older reader, and smaller readers might need help to manipulate the sliders. This is actually fantastic news because it helps develop fine motor skills.

A friendly and fun series which introduces readers to the outdoor world. 

 

Thanks to Templar Publishing for my gifted books. Opinions my own.

Review: Hello House and Hello Garage by Nicola Slater

Review: Hello House and Hello Garage by Nicola Slater

Ludo is looking for some friends to play with. 

As he travels around the neighborhood, Ludo looks into similar places. In one book he looks into houses. In another he looks into garages. This offers the reader some lift-the-flap fun as they peek inside different buildings and vehicles. Who is inside? What are they up to? 

A bright and cheerful series which introduces young readers to the different things they might find in the local area. 

Tiny people are insatiably curious. What might be a five-minute walk for an adult can drag out into fifty – and that’s not just about the footsteps. Time must be factored in to read street signs and admire insects and wave to passersby. Do you remember being small? Every walk was a learning journey and things which adults took for granted were endlessly fascinating. 

These beautiful books allow readers to explore and to talk about the amazing things they see around them. Background details such as bridges and ponds, cars with open bonnets and cars being hosed down will all provide talking points. These differences are all talking points to people who are seeing them for the first time. What on earth is happening to that car? Why does that bridge look different from the one I’ve seen? The books are not overloaded with details but everyone is thought through as if the designers have seen the world through a toddler’s eye. 

The cast of animal friends will be popular with fans of Peppa Pig and Hello Duggee. Donkeys work alongside rabbits. One of the houses is home to a range of woodland creatures. It is a thriving and pretty world and the characters all look friendly. 

The colour palette is a refreshing mix of natural colours, bright colours, and pastels. While the backgrounds are in a sugary blue, there are plenty of natural details which prevent this from becoming overly sweet. This will make the series more popular with adult readers. 

A gentle series which has resisted becoming sickly sweet. These books offer an introduction to different buildings and places via a lift-the-flap adventure. 

 

Thanks to Nosy Crow for my gifted books. Opinions my own.

Review: Little White Fish series by Guido Van Genechten

Little White Fish is ready to learn. Whether he’s looking for his Mummy, having a birthday party or playing with his friends, he is always soaking in new information. 

Colours, numbers and prepositions are covered by the first three books in this series. They are woven into the narrative in a way which means the reader can choose just to read the story, although the texts are rich with learning opportunities. 

Little White Fish stands out against a black background. If you think this is an odd choice for an ocean story, just wait until you see how striking the fish and corals look in the dark. It reminds me of a fuzzy felt set I had when I was small, where vibrant colours stood out against a black background. 

The ocean is a big place, but there is always a happy face around the corner to help a tiny fish. These stories are charming in a way which avoids being sentimental. 

Although the age recommendation on the back is two years, these would be lovely to read to a smaller child. The bright colours and happy faces would attract tiny eyes, even if they were too young to pick up the information. 

A lovely series with huge potential. Looking forward to seeing what happens next in the ocean. 

 

Thanks to Catch A Star Books for my gifted copies of the Little White Fish stories. Opinions my own.

Board Book Round-Up (March 2019)

The ABC OF Musical Instruments by Ailie Busby

Join a cast of forest animals as they bang their drums, blow their oboes and party from A to Z. An alphabet book in a traditional format (A is for …, B is for …), what makes this especially beautiful is the use of pattern. The designs were inspired by Jane Austen’s garden, and by the lining of a coat thought to have belonged to her which is in the care of the Hampshire Cultural Trust. Pages alternate from a colour-blocked letter with a patterned background to a colour-blocked letter with a patterned background.

The book has a lovely vintage feel but is lively and appealing for young readers.

123 Tea Party by Ailie Busby

A little fox is setting out a tea party for his friends. How many cakes does he need? How many pots of tea. Count from one to ten and join little fox and his friends at the end as they celebrate with a tea party.

Plain block backgrounds allow the patterned numbers and details to stand out. As in The ABC Of Musical Instruments, the patterns were inspired by Jane Austen’s garden and at Chawton. This is a very pretty book. Fox is helped along the way by a flock of birds and everything about his tea service is totally Cath Kidston.

Early numeracy is important but teaching children the basics of afternoon tea is inspired.

 

 

Say Hello To The Gruffalo. Based on the book by Julia Donaldson And Axel Scheffler.

A stroll in the wood. Off we go! Who is coming to say hello?

Join the famous mouse on a walk through the woods and meet the characters known and loved from the original picture book. This would make a gentle introduction to The Gruffalo for children too young for the original book. It is also a lovely rhyme.

The book has peek-through pages. Characters are first seen through round windows which then frame the mouse when the page is turned. This allows plenty of play and is a good big space to stick little fingers through.

A thoughtfully designed companion to a favourite book.

 

Gruffalo, What Can You Hear? Based on the book by Julia Donaldson And Axel Scheffler.

A hiss in the leaves, a hoot in the trees …

This lovely little book introduces words for sound, especially focusing on the animals featured in The Gruffalo. Three sentences extend over the course of the book, making it the perfect size to enjoy on the go.

The book clips on to the buggy with a strap, which can be dettached if the book is unclipped and given to a tiny child. The strap is made from stretchy elastic so the book can be pulled a little way around from where it is attached.

Give the gift of reading on the go, and introduce a small child to the Gruffalo.

 

Pets by Jane Foster

Reptiles and birds. Big and small. Say hello to the animals most commonly adopted as companions.

With a word and a picture, this is the perfect vocabulary builder. Point at the pictures and follow the letters of the word until your little reader learns the words for our animal friends.

I adore the design, with bright, contrasting colours, subtle patterns on the pages with the words and funky retro-style animals which could be straight out of a 1960s picture book. Elder siblings might enjoy using this as a catalogue for drawing inspiration. This would be a lovely way to bring the bigger kids into a reading experience designed for the very young.

This is part of a series of books. Think first 1000 words split into bright, attractive volumes. Why wait until your child is old enough for paper pages when you can start with such beautiful and fun books?

 

Who’s Hiding At The Seaside? and Who’s Hiding In The Woods? by Katherine McEwan

There are animals hiding everywhere. 

Take a trip to the seaside. Go for a stroll in the local woods. Who do you expect to find?

The answer is there are more animals out there than many of us realise. With an increasingly urbanised population, and dwindling knowledge of the natural world, it is important we introduce a love of the outdoors early so that the next generation grow up to love and protect the world.

Microhabitats are introduced, from a windy cliffside to a rock pool. Lift back the flaps to find out which animals inhabit each area. On the reverse side of the flaps are facts about the animals. As these are cardboard flaps, I would recommend these books to the oldest board book readers, although many of the parents I speak to on Twitter are absolute pros at keeping cardboard flaps safe (or letting them get damaged in the name of education. Also a good call.)

The illustrations pick out the different textures you would expect in each habit and capture the movement of leaves and grass blowing in the wind. A beautiful introduction to the outdoors.

 

Hello, Mr Dinosaur! by Sam Boughton

Take a tour through the time of the dinosaurs. Just how big was a velociraptor? What did a triceratops eat? Learn some basic facts about each dinosaur until you too are a fully qualified dino-spotter.

With the dinosaurs illustrated from different angles and the textures of their bodies really thought out, this is one of the most attractive introductions to the subject which I have seen in a long time. I love the paint and crayon effect of the pictures and the way the landscape is shown alongside the animals. Many children are shown touring the prehistoric world, which makes the subject feel less remote than it can in books which show only the unknown.

The end pages fold out into a big dinosaur display which also acts as a memory test of the dinosaurs’ names. This will keep young enthusiasts busy and engaged.

The book has cardboard flaps and challenging facts and would be perfect for slightly older board book readers. This would be perfect for older children with small siblings – this was a specific group we catered to when I worked as a bookseller because some parents just didn’t want to buy paper books when they were in danger of being wrecked, but also wanted to keep their nursery aged children engaged.

An insightful and attractive introduction to a popular topic. Highly recommended.

 

Ottie Elephant In The Town and Marley Bear At The Farm by Melissa Crowton

Where are the animals off to today? What do the hear? What kind of objects might they find? Take a trip out and about with an animal friend and explore the vocabulary relevant to different settings.

With felt flaps to lift and scrunch, mirrors for play time, textures to stroke, and hide and seek games in the pictures, these books are high on play value. They are bright and attractive with lots of primary colours and simple patterns.

Although the book follows the animal through one location, it could be opened on one page to play a game. This makes them great books for on the bus or train because they will keep your little reader distracted without it being a disappointment if the story can’t be finished.

 

Thanks to Nosy Crow Books, MacMillan Children’s Books UK, Templar Publishing and New Frontier Publishing UK for gifting the books in this feature. Opinions my own.

Review: Nibbles Numbers by Emma Yarlett

Look out! Nibbles the book-munching monster is back, and this time he has munched his way into a book of numbers. He’s obviously taken in what he has read, though, because clever Nibbles munches the right number of holes in every page. Count along with him from one to ten. 

A clever and entertaining format which will raise smiles from children and their adult readers. 

What works about this is sheer design. An apparently simple idea which is executed to perfection. The book introduces numbers from one through to ten. Every number has its own double-page spread. The monster nibbles the correct number of holes in every page so that the reader can count along.

It is difficult to remember as adults that children don’t automatically understand that numbers represent a quantity. When you think about it, children encounter arbitrary numbers too, (the number 12 bus, for example, has nothing to do with the number 12). Counting along and adding one every time is a brilliant way for children to familiarise themselves with the idea of quantity. 

The idea of a book-munching monster is hilarious. The reader releases nibbles from his cage as the start of the book by lifting a flap, and off he goes, all the way through the end cover. I bet these look lovely as a series and raise lots of smiles when the naughty monster gets to work on the books. There is great humour in something fictional apparently destroying books because this is exactly what young readers are told not to do. 

A bright and engaging book which will encourage children to early numeracy. 

 

Thanks to Little Tiger Press for my gifted copy of Nibbles Numbers. Opinions remain my own. 

Review: Where’s Santa Claus by Ingela P Arrhenius

Where’s Mrs Polar Bear? Where’s Santa Claus? Lift the felt-flaps and find all of our festive friends. A hide-and-seek book perfect for sharing with the very tiniest of readers.

Christmas with a tiny baby must be hectic and wonderful. Everyone is enthusiastic to introduce the concept of Christmas, even when the child is too young to fully understand. This book would be a lovely starting-point – introduce the familiar festive characters while the tiny-tot enjoys the tactile flaps and engaging pictures. 

The felt flaps are a brilliant idea. They are attractive for tiny hints to stroke and grab at and are easier to lift than traditional cardboard flaps. Poking or pushing the flaps from almost any angle leads to movement. This would be a brilliant way of teaching babies and tiny-tots how to engage with lift-the-flap books.

The illustrations are bright and bold with lots of colour-blocking and geometric design. They will hold the attention of babies too young to take interest in detailed pictures. At the same time, they are attractive to have on the bookshelves. There is a series of similar books and they would look very cute together.

With its baby-proof flaps and shiny mirror, this is a great option for the youngest people on your shopping list.

 

Thanks to Nosy Crow books for my copy of Where’s Santa Claus? Opinions my own.

Review: Matchstick Monkey – Colours

Monkeys grey and monkeys red, 

Monkeys green and pink,

Monkeys yellow, orange, blue – 

Who’s quickest, do you think? 

 

Monkeys of all different colours a leaping through the trees, leaving colourful trails in their wake. Loops and zig-zags and bouncy-hills – all the trails are different shapes and colours. 

Matchstick Monkey is best-known as a teething toy. It is the saviour of sleep and parent-kind. The monkey motif has been used on blankets and towels. Now your little one can share in the monkeys’ adventures through this beautiful board-book. 

This board-book would make a beautiful introduction to colour. It also introduces the language of line-shape – loops and zig-zags and bounces are drawn in bright, glittery trails. I love the design. A book like this could easily have induced a headache in the adult-reader but the white background and minimalist design counterbalance the splashes of colour. 

The raised glitter-trails provide a game for the young reader and offer early practice of hand-eye coordination. With a little practice, children will pick up the game and be able to play it by themselves. This would be a lovely book to leave in the buggy or the back of the car. Small children will be engrossed in following those glittery lines. 

If a child took to this, it would be lovely to make your own trails – try crayons, paint or messy play. Trace different lines in sand and mud until your child has the vocabulary for colour and line-shape. 

This board book will give children hours of fun and is gentle enough to be enjoyed by the reader-adult. A big thumbs-up to the Matchstick Monkeys. Here’s to the adventures of learning and play. 

 

Thanks to Ladybird Books for sending a copy of Matchstick Monkey – Colours. Opinions my own.