Hen in the Bed
Katrina Chapman and Guilherme Karsten
Nosy Crow

In this version of the popular nursery counting song it’s Hen who orchestrates the rolling over as in turn various animals roll, tumble and fall from bed to floor. Each one makes its characteristic sound : lion roars, cow moos, cat meows, sheep baas, dog woofs, bear growls and so on,

until the speckled hen realises that she misses cosying up with the other creatures and begs them to return, which they do. Once they’re all snuggled up together, it’s a “Cluck! Cluck” from Hen and some shut-eye time for everyone.

Its opening sequence of progressively cut down pages cleverly shows the entire animal entourage in bed. Each turn of the page tumbles one animal after another onto the mat or thereabouts.

Playful counting down practice made into an entertaining pre slumber time tale for young children, or alternatively a fun picture book to share with little ones in a nursery setting.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Lucy Rogers
Scholastic

It’s good to see this favourite nursery rhyme in an inclusive sign-along songbook version by Lucy Rogers, herself deaf, who grew up not seeing any deaf characters in the books she read.
The song is introduced with two double spreads whereon characters using British sign language (BSL) demonstrate how to do the sign for each phrase, thus enabling everyone to join in with signing the entire song.

Many children come to school or nursery knowing no other nursery rhymes so this vibrantly illustrated picture book is one I’d strongly recommend putting in all early years settings as it should enable any child to participate in a visual, gestural rendition. Twinkle, twinkle was always the first song my nursery classes sang accompanied by the appropriate Makaton signs and they loved so doing.