It’s not often you come across a book for preschoolers that really lives up to its educational claims. Dexter’s comprehension is actually very good. I can ask him to perform basic tasks with no visual hints and he’s off grabbing that pot of Sudocrem or rescuing Heidi from a climbing frame. His speech however is very slow. We’ve made little progress from “Mummy”, “Daddy” and “Car”, and with an impending move to a new nursery, we’re keen to ensure he’s happy with the basics.
Colours is as good a place as any to start, and I’ve been really impressed with a new release from Little Tiger Press in the series of My Little World books. We’ve tons of books from this series and have been so impressed with the standard. Whether it’s a pop-up extravaganza, noisy book or activity book, they all boast hardbook covers for clumsy hands, and are visually engaging with bold text and bright illustrations that fill the entire page.
Red Car, Blue Car is the very latest in the collection by Jonathan Litton and illustrated by Lisa Verrall. It aims to introduce children to the world of colours with über cool pop-ups. It’s been designed specifically for little hands with extra thick pages and can withstand some fairly tough play by your little one. The best bit is that the pop-up’s flatten when the page is laid flat - this means little ones are less likely to grab and tear them.
Aimed at 3-5 year olds, the text is simple, with large font and rhyming text. I’m a massive fan of rhyming text as it makes it easy for mum and dad to inject some fun into reading, and enables small children to learn through repetition. There are also plenty of animals for your child to point out within the book adding an extra dimension of learning.
I’ve reviewed a number of books by Jonathan Litton now and love his charming and simple style. His pop-up books have been much loved by Dex over the past few months, and I love the ongoing partnerships with skilled illustrators Lisa Verrall, Fhiona Galloway & Kasia Nowowiejska. They really help bring his stories to life and offer bright and easily recognisable artwork for the children to engage with. Red Car, Blue Car is no exception and has been requested many times at storytime.
Dexter reading books from the Little Snapper series, also by Litton
About the author: Jonathan Litton has written numerous children’s books in prose and verse. He specialises in non-fiction, early-learning and rhyming board books and loves using his science background to write about sea creatures, space and saving the planet, but is also fond of penning stories about pirates, princesses and picnics
A selection of Jonathan Litton’s other children’s books
Red Car, Blue Car (ISBN: 9781848691216) and its sister book One, Two, Baa, Moo (ISBN: 9781848691223) are available in hardback from August 2015 from Little Tiger Press. Both will be priced at a very reasonable £6.99.
