BABY'S FIRST WORDS. Written by Debbie McKinnon with photographs by Geoff Dann. (Frances Lincoln, 9.99).
There are lots of photographic word books around, and sometimes it's hard to tell them apart. At 64 pages, this book is wide-ranging. It has a nice humour and vitality in the photos, and there's an index at the back to quickly find a reference for any object. The 'opposites' feature shows a small boy saying clearly via his expression how tall he considers the girl standing next to him. Children will like the picture of the smiling boy in the bathroom who is covered in dirt.
USBORNE FIRST WORDS - PEOPLE. By Jo Litchfield. (Usborne, 3.99).
Here's a handy board book with 50 model images of people, including actors and artists, astronauts and mermaids. The last spread shows children in action -eating, drinking, kicking a football, struggling to budge a big parcel with no success because they're pushing and pulling at the same time, and last of all, laughing.
FIRST HUNDRED WORDS. Written by Heather Amery and illustrated by Stephen Cartwright. (Usborne, 4.99).
This large-size book features 100 labelled objects set in scenes. Some clever devices are used - for example, in the 'going swimming' scene, a boy is shown completely covered by a towel except for the highlighted parts of his body. There's a 'leg' sticking out here, and 'arm' there, and last of all a 'bottom'. Each scene has good talking points. The contented expression and relaxed body of a baby being gently lifted into her cot in the 'Bedtime' scene is perfect, as is the scene of the dog and mouse engrossed in a TV advert in the living-room. Seven isolated items are displayed at the top of the page that you can ask children to match up with images in the big picture.
FARMER DOOGIE. By Peter Curry. (Collins, 4.99).
This story is tightly told, has lots of humour, romps along in a rhythmical fashion and resolves in a way you don't expect. Children can find out about all the things Farmer Doogie does on the farm, helped by the animals. The book begins: 'Cock-a-doodle-doo! What does Farmer Doogie do?' After he milks the cow, collects eggs, and picks apples, a crow cheekily drops an apple core down the funnel of Farmer Doogie's tractor. The tractor won't work, but calm and steady Farmer Doogie sorts everything out.The last game of dressing-up sends those rascally crows on their way - with a scarecrow.
WHAT DOES TEDDY LIKE TO WEAR?. By Prue Theobalds. (Uplands Books, Pounds 3.99).
This board book in the shape of a teddy bear has big bold images that children will enjoy looking at by themselves. Teddy is shown wearing different clothes on each page, including a fetching kilt. At the end he opens his dressing gown to proudly show off his new blue and white pyjamas.
BABIES LIKE ME!. Written by Malachy Doyle and illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. (Frances Lincoln, 8.99).
The flaps in this book are easy to fold out, don't require lots of tugging, and are almost as big as the page they're sitting on. The text begins: 'Cosy seahorse babies ride in their father's pouch'. When the big tab is lifted there's a cute baby peeping out from a cloth carrier suspended near Daddy's tummy, saying 'Me too!' Each time, a comparison is drawn between an animal and the same baby - otters like splashing, and so do babies.
MY WORLD. By Josie Firmin. (Walker Books, 5.99).
This different kind of novelty with six fold-out pages, about a girl and her clothes, family, home, street and town, is for slightly older children. The child is at the centre of each picture, as the perspective zooms out until she is shown sitting on top of the earth. Postage stamp-size pictures around the edges give nearly 300 talking points in all. The clear, colourful art style allows easy identification of the objects. The 'My Town' page has a mosque, synagogue and church, and the images have a good racial mix.
HUMPHREY'S PLAYTIME. By Sally Hunter (Puffin, 3.99).
Welcome to the soft 3B pencil world of Humphrey elephant, who has an absorbing time doing ordinary things at home. In this easy-sized paperback with sturdy pages, Humphrey paints a picture for Mummy, takes snails for a trip to the shops in his wooden train, enjoys role-playing in a boat lost at sea, and becomes the elephant version of Superman. The soft colours and friendly hand-written text make this an ideal book for winding down.
