I’ll Be There
Karl Newson and Rosalind Beardshaw
Nosy Crow

What a wonderfully reassuring title this celebration of the loving bond shared between parents and their offspring has. Through Karl Newson’s gently rhyming text and Rosalind Beardshaw’s alluring, lively illustrations suffused with gentle humour, we follow a young elephant, led by a parent setting out on its life adventure; watch a polar bear cub wobble tentatively across the ice towards an encouraging adult;

see a baby whale and a big one swimming through the waves side by side. Then come in turn a tiny playful field mouse, a small tiger cub and its watchful, roarsome parent, an owl chick that must overcome its fear of the dark and finally, an adorable little human baby held gently in a father’s hands.

As each of these makes those important first steps in the world and begin to explore what it has to offer, the crucial thing is that each one will know there is an adult to support them in all they do. This is such an important, affirming message for young children, who in addition to enjoying the story will love to join in with animal sounds and the refrain. Make sure you leave plenty of time to explore the final spread so little humans can have fun looking for all the animals featured on the previous pages.

A calming bedtime book to share but also one that can be enjoyed in an early years setting.