Babies, Babies, Babies! by Catherine Anholt and Laurence Anholt
| Babies, Babies, Babies! by Catherine Anholt and Laurence Anholt | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: This is one of those lovely 'talky' books, that you can either read through properly, or you can just take your time wandering through it, discussing what you see as you go. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: May 2013 |
| Publisher: Orchard | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1408314364 | |
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This book is one of those lovely books that covers an awful lot in just a few pages. Full of sweet pictures and gentle rhyming text it takes you on a journey through the sort of things that babies' lives revolve around - food, animals, family, clothes and playing. You can read the text as it's written or you may find that your little ones are happy to just look through the book, talking to you about what they can see, what it reminds them of, and what they'd like to do that day.
Each section contains either a list of items with pictures, for example the page about food, Babies love food, has a very large dinner table with six babies seated and looking over a selection of labelled foods like bread, beans, spaghetti, cheese and peas etc. Other pages have smaller individual pictures and rhyming text, for example on the animals page we have lions that roar (RA-aww!) bears who snore (Zzzzzz!) The text is written simply, so it's easy to follow, but they are well-chosen rhymes covering things that are of interest to little ones such as kite flying, picnics, scooters and splashing.
The illustrations throughout are lovely, with sweet little babies, cute animals, and lots to see on every page. There are funny moments, such as the baby with a stinky nappy or the two identical twins munching on identical carrots! There is also a funny baby bunny who you can look for on every page through the book, to try and spot whereabouts he is hiding or playing each time which adds another layer of interest to the whole reading experience.
The whole book reminds me a great deal of one of my favourites, The Baby's Catalogue by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. I have spent hours and hours looking through that book with my daughter, most especially, I remember, when she was potty training as she would just sit on the potty and look over every single page! As I read this new book I had the feeling it would perhaps work in the same way once my son is a little bit older and toddling around more, understanding the different things and activities we're reading about.
My only criticism would be the few Americanisms which have crept in. On the food page there are 'fries' not chips, on the clothing page there's a 'sweater' not a jumper, and the baby in a shopping trolley is described as being in a 'cart'. There is also a picture of a taxi and, unfortunately, the taxi is yellow! These little things do jar somewhat, I'm afraid, though I'll admit that I am a bit fussy! I will, of course, simply change the words each time I read it so it's not a huge problem but I just would have preferred it if it had been altered a little for the British publication.
Overall it's a lovely book for sharing, with lots of scope for reading outside of the words that are written and just having a jolly good chat with your baby! Perfect for toddlers just learning to speak as well as those who are well on their way to forming sentences.
You might also like to try Babies Love Books by Catherine Anholt and Laurence Anholt
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You can read more book reviews or buy Babies, Babies, Babies! by Catherine Anholt and Laurence Anholt at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Babies, Babies, Babies! by Catherine Anholt and Laurence Anholt at Amazon.com.
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