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The Big Book of Words and Pictures by Ole Könnecke,Gecko Press
This is definitelya big board book (about 35cm tall) so it’s probably best viewed on the floor –both you and your preschooler, that is. In fact, you may even like to justleave it lying on the floor in view of the preschooler, and watch what happens.Hopefully the child will open the sturdy pages and become intrigued by thesimple, attractive displays. There is no story, just a host of objects on eachpage with names underneath. The first page contains child-related objects(book, bed, pillow, teddy bear), the third and fourth pages contain householdobjects such as spoon, frying pan, bib, chair – and so on through topics suchas the seasons, food, animals, the sea, flight, transport, music, sports, etc.Most objects are within the ken of a 3-year-old (for instance) but you may becalled upon to explain some unfamiliar items, such as moisturiser,overtrousers, secateurs, sleigh bells, unicycle, water pump, petanque... Thebook was originally published in German, so does not have a New Zealand tone.However the illustrations are fresh and appealing, and the interested adultwill pick up subtle flashes of humour tucked away here and there.
ISBN 978 1877467 87 5 RRP $29.99
Reviewed byLorraine Orman
This is theboard book edition of the original 2006 version (over 35,000 copies printed). Ihave to admit I checked the last page to see if there was a CD there –but no.So you’re left to sing the numerous verses on your own. “Dashing to the bay, In a Kombi campervan, Christmas at the beach – Thefamily’s master plan. Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,Christmas in New Zealand on a sunny summer’s day, ay!” This board bookversion is sturdy and a suitable size for small hands. Deborah Hinde’sillustrations are colourful and active and contain plenty of objects that apre-schooler should recognise. If you’re looking for a Christmas-themedstocking-filler for your 2-year-old, you should check this one out.