Bing YUK!
Ted Dewan
Harper Collins Children’s Books
Most adults who have dealings with very young children will laugh at the scenario presented in the latest Bing story wherein we discover something that is most assuredly NOT a Bing thing.
Flop tries his level best to persuade Bing to sample his favourite food – a yummy tomato.

Having seen it though, Bing is having none of it. He firmly refuses Flop’s exhortations as he attempts to liken it to the sweet, juicy, gooey, red, snappy, roundy, tasty, fun foods that Bing loves but YUK! YUK! YUKKY is the bun’s response before he finally bips the spherical object sending it flying from his plate and onto the floor.

Oh Bing! Time out is decreed – just while Flop deals with the mess and then maybe another healthy snack instead – a snappy one this time.
There are so many lovely descriptive words herein and a sprinkling of alliterative phrases too and that’s in addition to another delightful episode in the life of the endearing black bunny – all in all a Bing thing and for me, one of his best so far. YUP!

Big Digger abc
Margaret Mayo and Alex Ayliffe
Orchard Books
All manner of vehicles from a scooter to a quad bike and a bulldozer to an ‘underwater robot’ are featured in this jolly, brightly, rhyming alphabet book.
There is an abundance of lovely sounds and actions to join in with so why not climb aboard say the
‘Brightly-painted narrowboat
chug, chug, chugging.
Along peaceful waterways
                    Slowly gliding.’  

Or try driving the Digger:
Great big digger
dig, dig digging.
Scooping up the earth
lifting and tipping.
I can see this one going down well in early years settings.

Count with Maisy, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep!
Lucy Cousins
Walker Books
Mother Hen has lost her ten little chicks. We join her and Maisy as they walk around the farmyard searching for the missing babies. Those mischievous little ones have hidden themselves in all manner of places as readers discover as they open the various flaps– aboard the tractor, behind the pumpkins and even up in the apple tree.

(How did number 5 get up there, one wonders). They will also find Maisy’s friends, Cyril, Eddie the elephant and some more unexpected animals en route until finally, there is chick number 10 (along with Charley) in among the hay bales. Just in time to nestle down for the night, ten little ones all present and correct.

The simple counting story from the ever popular Maisy will delight the very young as well as slightly older brothers and sisters who can enjoy demonstrating their reading skills by sharing this book with younger siblings. The large print and straightforward text makes it particularly inviting for beginner readers.

Funny Face Sunny Face
Sally Symes and Rosalind Beardshaw
Nosy Crow
Small children and animals compete for cuteness in this bright, jolly rhyming picture book. Pattern abounds in Rosalind Beardshaw’s accompaniment to the sometimes tongue-twisting couplets such as ‘Happy ears, flappy ears, funny wear a nappy ears.’ Or this one …

Sharing (though preferably not at meal times) is sure to encourage a love of language play and rhyme.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Illustrated by Yu-hsuan Huang
Nosy Crow
This is a board book rendition of a nursery favourite albeit slightly different from the one I’m familiar with, but none the worse for that.
We join rabbit, cat and dog as they take turns to row gently down the stream, the creek or the river,

before finally encountering that scream-inducing crocodile.
Babies can enjoy hearing the song (an audio version of which is available by scanning the QR code inside the front cover), toddlers have fun singing along as they turn the pages and work the sliding mechanisms on every spread that make the animals pop up or snap as the verse requires. Slightly older children who are just learning to read can try matching the words in their heads with the printed ones on the pages of this charmingly illustrated version of the song.

Hop! Hop!
Leslie Patricelli
Walker Books
This is the latest in a very funny board book series featuring a chubby infant who surprisingly never seems to get any older. My favourite remains TOOT! But this one show the infant to be not only a skilled narrator but also pretty competent in the creativity field. Dyeing eggs and making bunny costumes

are on the agenda but come Easter Day, there are surprises aplenty so where are the eggs?