Old MacDonald Had a Farm

By Camilla Reid

Illustrated by Joll Howarth

Macmillan Children’s Books

May 2024, pp14, £7.99

978-1035023356

Reading age: 3-6 years

This is a lovely board book which will be excellent for supporting various curriculum areas and provide much fun for young readers.

Each double page includes a different verse from the popular nursery rhyme Old MacDonald Had a Farm, printed in clear, easy-to-read text and accompanied by a wonderful slider activity where counters can be moved across the page as the verse is sung.

The illustrations are fun, bright and detail-rich, with illustrations matching the lyrics of the verse. This helps introduce readers to life on a farm, some of the different animals and how to care for them, and other jobs on a farm.

The counters feature each animal as they come up in the song, with each verse having an additional counter to make up to a total of five counters on the last page. This is a really dynamic resource for any setting; supporting vocabulary acquisition, singing, knowledge of a farm, basic counting and building fine motor skills.

When the Fog Rolls In

By Pam Fong

Greenwillow Books

November 2023, pp32, £12.99

978-0063136540

Reading age: 4-8 years

This is a beautiful, charming and sensitive work which takes young readers on a journey following a little puffin character as he takes off to fly with his puffin friends. However, he quickly gets lost in deep fog, can’t find his way to Puffin Point and doesn’t know what to do. Readers see him trying different strategies to try to deal with the situation, before discovering he just needs to keep going ‘directly through it’ until it clears and he finds his way back to his friends and the bigger world, which ‘has always been there’.

This story sensitively and gently depicts life’s challenges, including using the metaphor of fog to introduce the concept of poor mental health, and how to navigate a way through.

The atmospheric illustrations are a real highlight, making the concepts and situations explored accessible, with readers easily able to relate to the emotions and expressions of the characterful bird.

The text is poetic and gentle, with clear, age-appropriate vocabulary.

My First Cookbook

By Annabel Karmel

Illustrated by Alex Willmore

Welbeck Children’s Books

September 2024, pp63, £12.99

978-1783129881

Reading age: 3-8 years

A wonderful book which introduces children to Western cooking, recipes and food in a fun and creative way.

A double-page illustration at the beginning shows each piece of equipment needed, accompanied by clear, simple vocabulary labelling each item and briefly describing its use.

The rest of the book comprises four sections, containing different recipes on each double page, for breakfast, main meals, super snacks and sweets and desserts. Each recipe uses minimal ingredients to make healthy, balanced meals and explores some of the more frequently used foods found in Western recipes. With simple and easy cooking techniques which are perfect for small hands, the recipes also contain fun presentation ideas that will really engage children.

Colourful photos show children involved in different cooking processes, creating an accessible and inclusive atmosphere. This will be a fabulous book for any setting.