Goodnight, Little Fish
- Written and Illustrated by Lucy Cousins
- Published by Walker
When my youngest reached the age of enjoyment and interest in picture books he had one particular favourite, that we read over and over again, and I can still quote from a decade later! That book was Hooray for Fish! and it had so many elements that made it so perfect, especially the bold illustrations of all the fish featured within, and the counting, colours, and patterns that are part of the rhyming story. To see that Goodnight, Little Fish has recently been published (5th October 2023), and it is a board book, making it absolutely perfect for little ones.
In this new title Little Fish is getting ready for bed, and swims around saying good night to an array of other fish, all of whom can be found in Hooray for Fish!, and these other fish have different patterns, colour, and detail to one another, making each one interesting to spot on the page, and realise why they’ve got the names they do. In the final scene Little Fish has found Mummy Fish, and heads to bed after a kiss good night. This book is perfect for sharing as part of your little ones bedtime routine, as they snuggle down for sleep, and the calming feel to this book, in both rhyming sentences and eye catching illustrations of scenes in the ocean, encourage little ones to follow Little Fish’s routine, and get a good night sleep. There are other board books in the A Little Fish book series, and the fish are ones little ones become familiar with and recognise as they move from one book to the next, and undoubtedly this is going to be an incredibly popular read just like over a decade ago when we first came to learn of eye fish, fly fish, and many more too.
Cocomelon A B C
- Published by Farshore
This title was published in June this year, and I have included it in this months selection of board books because it is the perfect addition to a toddlers life, and makes a beautiful gift this Christmas.
Little ones will recognise the items illustrated that are included in this a-z, as they come directly from the show. The items are a selection of JJ’s favourite things, including toys, animals, and foods.
This is such a fun way of introducing or reinforcing the alphabet, depending on what stage you are at with your little ones, as this book is all themed with a popular tv series for toddlers, and includes items as examples for each letter of the alphabet that can be recognised from the show, and also looked for in other episodes going forward too. That would be a fun way to incorporate the book in with watching the show. There is also a Cocomelon 1 2 3 board book available, which would be brilliant paired with this one, and collectively give your little one the tools they need in order to learn whilst enjoying the books too.
Where’s Mrs Fox?
- Written and Illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius
- Published by Nosy Crow
This is the latest in this beautiful board book collection by Ingela that I have not only featured a large majority of on here, but continue to find these are popular with the little ones in my life, and as such I strive to ensure that each new title is shared with those of you looking for board book recommendations. If you aren’t familiar with these books then I would describe them as hide and seek with felt flaps hiding whomever you are looking for on the two page spread. In Where’s Mrs Fox? little ones look for Mr Mole (who is under a mole hill brown felt flap), Mrs Hare ( who can be found behind a yellow felt tulip flower), Mr Woodpecker (he’s hiding behind a big green felt leaf on a tree branch), Mrs Fox ( neatly hidden behind a Christmas tree shaped green felt), and then concludes with finding yourselves by looking in the mirror hidden behind an autumnal toned bush shaped felt.
Listen to the Four Seasons by Vivaldi
- Illustrated by Marion Billet
- Published by Nosy Crow on 12th October 2023
What I love about this book is the way the music of composer Vivaldi is complimented by illustrative content that fits so brilliantly. There is a button on each two page spread that can be pushed to listen to the relevant composition by Vivaldi, and the book asks you whether the music you hear makes you think of the illustrated scene. I honestly couldn’t believe how perfectly the music complimented the illustrations or vice versa.
I shared this book with my nephew, who is 3, and I was delighted that he was just as interested and invested in listening to the classical music as he was me reading the sentence on each page. We spent time looking at the beautiful illustrative content in this absolute gem of a book, with me telling him the names of things he was pointing out. The other thing I am in awe of is how the energy being portrayed in the pictures came across through the tempo and notes played in the music pieces. I can see this book being cherished by everyone who sees it, as it is such a feel good book that ties in all the relevance of each season into four separate two page spreads, doing justice to Vivaldi in the process.
That’s How Much I Love You
- Written by Julie A. Rudi
- Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
- Published by Graffeg
If you are looking for a board book to share with your little one that completely encompasses how much you love them then look no further then this one. It has beautifully illustrated in a traditional style, and with a warm colour palette, which reflects the warmth you have for your little ones perfectly. The sentences inside rhyme, with a few bits of repetition that reinforces the message being put across, and each sentence makes your heart swell more and more. I love the spread towards the end saying ‘If you were a star, I’d be your sky’, and that is what you can anticipate the majority of sentences to be like, giving two items that belong together without question, and they are references to things we can recognise from around us, but in this concept of expressing love for another they become so much more. This would be the perfect choice of gift for any little people in your life, and they will cherish the sentiment as much as they will the book, and it is definitely one to do just that with.
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