Board Book Reviews

Baby on Board: Rocket
Baby on Board: Submarine

Seb Braun, pub. Templar Books

Will you submerge or fly first? Both options offer plenty of fun with lots to spot and pictures to change with the fun sliders.

Fly into space with the rocket, see the flames which will help power it into space as you slide it and prepare to open the book to… the countdown. Before you know it you’re in space, watching the planets and stars. Step outside and spin the moon wheel for more wonders.

Sink beneath the ocean waves in the submarine and wait for a whole new maritime world to open up before your eyes. See how bright and colourful the world under the water is, what can you spot? Will you be brave enough to make the slide up with the periscope? Hours of fun await.

Big, Little: A Book of Opposites

Didier Cornille, pub. Post Wave Children’s Books

Opposites, they seem fairly obvious to most adults, but to children they could be more challenging to understand, there are subtleties to the concept. In this delight of a board book, small in size but huge in conception and revelation, Didier Cornille takes the idea of opposites and gives them some very special treatment.

From the big to the little, from near to far, before and after, in good weather and then in bad weather, we discover a whole new world of opposites. These are contrasts as much as opposites. Can you find the sleek limo and the compact car, can you fold them out of the book whilst enjoying its minimalist design. This little book is bursting with surprises!

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Glow

Sophie Ledesma, pub. Little Tiger

Lights, camera, action. These three words typically used by film makers on set. Now we can apply at least some of them to books and to this particular book too for it comes with a touch of magic. It comes with light and sound. It also comes with a request for some help. Firefly has lost his glow. Can you help him find it again?

Up in the sky Firefly can see Moon, her glow so bold she lights the way. On the coast there is a lighthouse shining bright, helping ships find their way home. Under the waves are jellyfish who sparkle. Firefly would like to be just like all of them but even wise old owl is not sure how to help. Do you know how Firefly can find her glow? A magical, empowering book.

How It Works: Tree

Isabel Otter, pub. Little Tiger

Until I saw the title of this charming book it had not really occurred to me that the humble tree could be considered to be something that ‘works.’ But they do, they are essential to our world and they ‘work’ to keep us all cared for. The workings of trees is a topic far too big and complex for a board book but this one captures the essence perfectly.

Starting with a few simple facts this book lays the foundations for more to come, when young readers are older they will remember the wonder that first inspired them. And this book is truly filled with wonder. A cut-out centre allows changes in the tree, through the seasons, to be explored and marvelled over. A simple, wonderful delight.

I’m A Bunny

I’m A Digger

Matthew Scott, pub. Templar Books

Board books with shaped pages are an absolute delight, they can offer wonderful hints about the story inside. They also make the book very easy to hold. The bunny’s ears make up two of the page toppers but who is hiding among the rest of the pages? A wonderful opportunity for some guessing games, reading, learning. There are simple facts and even some sounds to mimic. Introduce nature and animals whilst discovering the joy of reading.

Who doesn’t love a truck, digger or some other large piece of machinery that appears to be able to do magical things? We all love vehicles of one form or another and the shaped pages of this one introduce children not only to the shape of the digger of the title but it’s companion machines on the building site too. Meet them all, learn what their roles are and how they work, perhaps you’ll be able to sound like them too?

Lion’s Cleaning Day

Nicola Kent, pub. Little Tiger

It isn’t always easy to explain to young children why it’s important to keep places, and themselves, clean and tidy, which is why a helping hand is always a gift. Not only can grown-ups and their young charges now share in the joy of cleaning, they can collect a set of companion titles featuring wash day, cooking and the garden!

When it comes to cleaning day Lion needs some help. Bear is coming over later so Lion wants everything to be tidy. Can you turn the wheel, slide, spin and flip where it looks as though Lion needs a little more help? And whilst you do all of that can you listen to the story and follow along, learning as you go? A wonderful introduction to helping with chores!

Listen, Listen

Phillis Gershator, illus. Alison Jay, pub. Barefoot Books

A chunky board book. A colourful board book. An adventure in a board book. These and so much more besides are offered by Listen, Listen. Encouraging young readers to associate word and picture, to identify elements and match them to sounds; to learn those very same sounds as words, this book offers an incredible learning journey and plenty of fun too.

From the chirps and cheeps of insects in the grasses to the sizzling of the summer sun over the beach where children play, there are sounds and words for them all around us. We might not always know where to look but learning to listen is an equally important skill, one will encourage the other. This book will encourage all that and much more.

Match the Colour

illus. Susie Hammer, auth. Ruth Symons, pub. Templar Books

This board book has holes waiting to be filled, with colours. It’s a colour-sorting (and matching) book, a learning opportunity, a game even. The front cover features three holes, green, black, orange. Grown-ups, you may need to help your young readers with identifying these. Then it’s time to open up and discover a wonderful surprise.

Inside you’ll find three ribbons, one for each of the three colours needed to fill the holes throughout the book. Interestingly the ribbon colours don’t match the colours they are attached to – more learning? As you turn the pages there are balloons, a clown, some fruit and even an ice cream to fill in. A bold, bright, fun-filled book to encourage learning.

Our World: Canada

Melanie Florence, illus. Carey Sookocheff, pub. Barefoot Books

Three more books, in board book format, to add to the collection that is Our World. In these newest titles we can spend a day in Canada, Iceland and Vietnam. Three very different countries with three very different cultures. It’s fascinating to have access to an understanding of places around the world from the perspective of those who live there.

Not only is this a personal perspective from author and illustrator alike, it is presented for young children, not only in format but in content too. There are local foods to learn about, languages to discover, places to see. There is also fun to be had from playing in the snow to celebrating with song and dance. Share the world with these wonderful books.

Our World: Iceland

Ævar Þór Benediktsson, illus. Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir, pub. Barefoot Books

Our World: Vietnam

Nhung Tran-Davies, illus. Xuan Le, , pub. Barefoot Books

Roscoe and Ivy: The Clean Up Monster

Roscoe and Ivy: My Dinosaur Shoes

Eleni Tassopoulos Wehner, illus. Danamarie Hosler, pub. Barefoot Books

Roscoe and Ivy are the characters in a new series of board books with a focus on a neurodivergent family. They draw on personal lived experience and include helpful notes.

Today there is a big mess, so big that there is no way Roscoe and Ivy will be able to tidy it. The toys are jumbled and even the dough has got mixed up. Where on earth should they start? Working as a team, with different methods might help and a job well done might mean a glimpse of the Clean-Up monster too!

Roscoe has a pair of puppy shoes that he loves. What’s not to love, they are soft and comfy but what happens when they get too small and a new pair of shoes are needed. Dinosaur ones. They are different and different can be scary but Ivy, being the big sister, knows just the trick to help Roscoe learn to love the new shoes.

Very Special You

Emma Dodd, pub. Templar Books

Each of us is special. We are special because of who we are and we should always remember that. Equally important is remembering that there are others who consider us special too, a feeling that will likely be reciprocated. But if you’ve ever wondered ‘why;’ if you’ve ever thought of yourself as anything less than special this book is just for you.

Many things make little lamb special. They are small and white with perfect eyes and nose. When they smile it is the best and their laugh, well that is just right and a joy to hear. Cuddly and fun they are the best even when grumpy. There are so many things which make us who we are, that make us one of a kind, sometimes we simply need to be reminded.

Where’s Jane Austen?

Ingela P Arrhenius, pub. Little Tiger

I very much doubt that there are many small children who are aware of some of the great names of literature! My own dad introduced me to Jane Austen when I was around the age of 12, I had exhausted his ideas of what to read and he felt it was time. I loved it. Can you imagine starting earlier?

With felt flaps, simple words and prompting questions children can begin to learn about some of the people who have shaped literature, and their contexts. Shakespeare is behind a red felt curtain; Charlotte Bronte is behind a glorious green shrub; Charles Dickens is in his chair but what is this, they are looking for you. A special surprise awaits.