Tag Sophie Ledesma

Play and Learn with Board Books

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My First Black and White Book: Play
Pascale Estellon
Post Wave

This is a sturdily designed, wordless book with a cover that acts as a container for the free-standing pages that fold in and out accordion style and it’s intended to be used with a baby lying on its front.
There’s a mirror, followed by illustrations, mainly black and white with splashes of colour that show a wide variety of items such as geometric shapes, faces and animals. Little ones can develop their fine motor skills by tracing trails, as well as developing their language, especially if an older person is using the images as starting points for talk.

Lion’s Cleaning Day
Nicola Kent
Little Tiger

This is the fourth story in the interactive Busy Chores for Little Paws series.
Lion’s neighbour, Bear, is coming to pay him a visit so Lion decides some tidying up is required. There are art materials scattered on the rug that need to go back on the shelf, crockery in the sink waiting to be washed up and put away, a dirty worktop to wipe and floors in need of a run over with the vacuum cleaner. Lion, with the assistance of little humans who use the slippers, flaps and wheel, get the work done just before there comes a knock on the door. Hurrah! Lion can welcome his friend to a spotless home.
Ideal for developing fine motor skills and beginning sound/symbol awareness by joining in the splish splash … chink … spray… whoosh and knock! knock! sounds.
There’s more interactive fun in:

Glow
Sophie Ledesma
Little Tiger

Firefly has lost his glow – or has he? One night the moon’s aglow, the lighthouse is sending bright beams out to the boats on the stormy sea, jellyfish dances with a fish, shimmering as she does so. So what has happened to Firefly’s glow: even Owl is puzzled. Will the little insect ever find his sparkling light? What to you think?
Once an adult has moved the switch on the back cover to the on position, little ones can delight in the sounds and lights that are activated when they press the button on each spread.

Number Garden / Noisy Construction / All the Things a River Can Be

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These are all new Little Tiger interactive board books: thank you to the publishers for sending them for review.

Number Garden
Sophie Ledesma

A group of animal friends are shown around the number garden by Marigold the tortoise. With a fold-out to explore on every spread, small children will enjoy accompanying them and in so doing they can practise their counting skills to ten and respond to the other questions too.
First stop is the orchard, followed in turn by a hot-house and a rockery, then it’s off to the pond, a vegetable patch and the tour finishes in the meadow with a picnic.
Vibrant art work with just the right amount of detail for the very young (including minibeasts to spot), together with the interactive nature of the words make for a fun book to share with tinies. There’s a final spread whereon Marigold gives some extra facts about the six locations visited.

Noisy Construction
text by Lauren Crisp

It’s time to visit the construction site and meet some of the large machines at work in this touchy-feely textured sound book. There’s an excavator, a backhoe, a chug, chugging digger, a dumper truck that makes a crashing noise, a very tall crane lifting and cranking a heavy load. Then little ears can listen out for the smash, smash of the bulldozer blade as it moves along on its clanking track, enjoy the rumbling sound of the road roller drum as it carries out its flattening work.
The final spread presents all the vehicles at the site and invites little humans to press the button in the corner to hear all the sounds again.

All the Things a River Can Be
James Carter and Nathalia Takeyama

A rather unlikely subject for a board book but when shared with young children, this one, with its moving pieces and flaps, will likely lead to lots of learning.
In its half dozen spreads little ones can find out what makes a river special. People sometimes think of a river as a road, an inland waterway whereon they can travel in various kinds of boat. It also provides a watery habitat for lots of animals including many kinds of birds, fish, mammals and amphibians as well as plants, some aquatic, others that grow along the river banks. Some humans too make their home on rivers, choosing to live in houseboats. On its journey from source to mouth a river moves at different speeds, sometimes a slow trickle, at other times fast flowing and fierce. People who explore river beds can find all manner of interesting things such as coins, jewels and possibly even ancient remains.
The final spread brings together many of the activities people might do on a river visit, things that give them pleasure including boating, swimming and watching wildlife.

What Can You See? At the Zoo / Word Museum / Where’s Mr Train?

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What Can You See? At the Zoo
Katie Ware and Maria Pereira
Little Tiger

Maria Pereira’s cutaway scenes of a zoo park present an absolute wealth of animals, large and small. Reptiles and insects share the first spread, along with several frogs. Turn over to see lots of brightly coloured birds and a pair of slumbering owls; then it’s off to a more arid part of the park where meerkats await. On the last three spreads there are tigers and monkeys; a watery area with penguins, seals and sharks and finally, hippos keeping cool, rhinos, elephants, zebras and giraffes – two of each creature as well as a couple of wading water birds.
At each location there’s a ‘can you spot … ?’ question and some snippets of information. Plenty to engage little human visitors to this particular zoo.

Word Museum
Sophie Ledesma and Isabel Otter
Little Tiger

Along with Oriel ostrich and her students, little human learners can explore the word museum in this interactive book that introduces them to learning topics – museums and words. The tour starts in the ancient pottery arcade, proceeds to the animal gallery and thence, the furniture hall, after which it’s time for a quick snack break at the rooftop cafe. Next comes an exploration of gadget corridor with lots of different devices on view and the tour concludes outside in the fashion courtyard.
Sophie Ledesma’s lively, patterned illustrations and Isabel Otter’s engaging text will set young children on the road to becoming culture vultures as they explore the exhibits, peek through die-cuts, lift the gatefold on each spread and answer the questions posed, while learning lots of new words along the way. Fun learning, quality board book style that’s just right to share with toddlers

Where’s Mr Train?
Ingela P Arrhenius
Nosy Crow

The latest in this felt-flap hide-and-seek series introduces toddlers to four different means of travelling: a tram, a ferry boat, a bus and a train. Each except the completely hidden bus has a small part slightly visible before the flap is opened and the final spread shows all four in their entirety and there’s a mirror behind the flap.
With simple bright illustrations and a simple question and answer text, this is ideal for the very youngest children.

All Change! / Colour Gallery

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Here are two new board books from Little Tiger – thanks to the publisher for sending them for review.

All Change!
Harriet Evans and Linda Tordoff

Transformations in the natural world is the theme of this board book with its clever, enticing cover picture.
By means of the flaps integral to each of Linda Tordoff’s illustrations, we see changes brought about by the seasons, through life-cycles of insects and frogs, the weather, danger, the lunar cycle, the need to catch food, for safety and more. Executed in soft, soothing colours, each scene is pleasing to the eye and the simple text offers a starting point for discussion with very young children.

Colour Gallery
Sophie Ledesma and Isabel Otter

Ready and waiting to take the animal visitors, and readers, on a learning tour around the art gallery is Gigi the giraffe. First stop is the Red Mosaic Hall, followed by the Blue Portrait Gallery, the Green Sculpture Park and the Yellow Landscape Room. This art establishment certainly makes effective use of all its space for there’s a corridor devoted to still life paintings

and the cafe displays abstract art on its walls.
As well as reinforcing the concept of colour in an unusual manner, Isabel Otter’s interactive text, the book’s design with its shaped pages and gatefolds and Sophie Ledesma’s bright illustrations (with a tiny mouse lurking on every spread), provide a fun introduction to the world of art for the very youngest children.

Hop, Hop! / One Little Egg

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Both these titles are from Little Tiger: thanks to the publisher for sending them for review

Hop, Hop!
Isabel Otter and Sophie Ledesma

In this interactive ‘slide and seek’ board book little humans can follow Little Bunny through an entire day from sunrise to bedtime. In so doing they will meet Bunny’s forest friends, those that live in and on the river and goodness me, behind a large rock, not completely hidden so youngsters can guess what’s there, is something growly, furry and hungry.

After all that hopping and scurrying, Little Bunny needs to sleep, zzzz.

With sliders to move up and down, or in and out, flaps to open and a wheel to turn, young children will be developing their fine motor skills, enjoying a simple story and feeling involved in Bunny’s day. Then with a final spread that asks, ‘What did you spot on the way?’ showing ten labelled items, they can also develop their observation skills.

For older children, also with a nature theme, and lots of interactive elements is

One Little Egg
Becky Davies and Charlotte Pepper

This sturdy book is part of a non-fiction series that encourages children to use all their senses to actively engage with and explore in detail, the natural world.

Starting with eggs, Charlotte Pepper presents brightly-coloured spreads of birds’ nests, birdsong, feathers and birds in flight. There’s a spread devoted to bird spotting – you can do this without binoculars no matter where you are –

the food chain and urges youngsters to become involved in helping birds (and indirectly all wildlife), survive and thrive. The text presents a wealth of facts, some of which are hidden beneath flaps adding further reader involvement, and there are questions and activity suggestion boards that will stimulate discussion with young children.

A lively, engaging introduction to the wonders of the world of birds.

Toddler Take-Along: Nature / Hello, Bee / Jeppo Finds His Friends

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It’s never too early to start introducing little ones to the delights of nature and the first two books from Little Tiger should help do just that. Thanks to the publishers for sending them for review

Toddler Take-Along: Nature
Ana Zaja Petrak and Becky Davies

Bold images on bright backgrounds with peep through die-cuts and a simple question per spread, invite toddlers to look all around and with the help of the labels, name what they see, be it on the ground, up in the sky, or on and around the pond.
As suggested in the title, a handy carrying handle makes this one ideal for taking out on walks.

Also bursting with mini beasts is:

Hello, Bee
Sophie Ledesma

A buzzy bee leads the way through the pages of this touchy-feely, lift the flap book wherein we meet small creatures that fly, crawl, slither and walk; there’s an odd surprise too. Sophie Ledesma’s multicoloured images are gently humorous yet recognisable, and in combination with the brief chatty text and hidden animals element and the final ‘What did you spot on the way?’ spread showing an assortment of natural objects that were passed on bee’s flight, make for an interactive experience that little humans will enjoy sharing with an adult or perhaps an older sibling.

Another interactive board book is:

Jeppo Finds His Friends
Ingela P Arrhenius
Walker Books

Tiger Jeppo can’t wait to meet up with all his friends but although he soon finds Larry Lamb and Flora Fox, of Odd the owl there’s no sign. So off the others go to look for him. After several misidentifications, disappointed, they’re on the point of giving up but there’s one last place to check. Perhaps they might be lucky this time …
Toddlers will have fun lifting the various flaps as they join in the search for Odd the owl in Ingela Arrhenius’ bold, bright playful spreads.

Board Books Small and Not So Small

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Hello Frog
Sophie Ledesma and Isabel Otter
Caterpillar Books

Having greeted Frog as he sets out through the jungle, toddlers can then join him in saying ‘hello’ to in turn, Hummingbird, Snake, Monkey and Moth on subsequent spreads, as well as other creatures that have hidden themselves away behind flaps shaped as lily pads, flowers, leaves and fruit.
Then, come nightfall, as the little amphibian closes his eyes after an eventful day, it’s time to bid “Goodnight Frog” and, prompted by the question on the final spread, turn back to the beginning and search for the twelve labelled items.
With Sophie Ledesma’s bold, bright, patterned illustrations, lots of interactive features and a simple repetitive text, this is a board book little ones will want to return to over and over.

Where’s Mr Puffin?
Ingela P Arrhenius
Nosy Crow

In her bold bright scenes, the illustrator Ingela P Arrhenius introduces toddlers to in turn, a kingfisher, a blackbird, a swan and a puffin each of which is all but completely hidden behind a felt flap in this addition to the super hide-and-seek series published in collaboration with the National Trust. They’ll also meet a fish, a buzzy bee, a frog and a gull before the final ‘And where are you?’ spread whereon a mirror is revealed when the yacht sail is flipped down.

When You’re Fast Asleep
Peter Arrhenius and Ingela Arrhenius
Nosy Crow

Subtitled “Who Works At Night-Time’ this large format board book is a collaboration between team Arrhenius. With a largely urban setting, Ingela’s first six lively scenes show a busy bakery kitchen with a team of people hard at work making bread and biscuits; fishing boats setting out to sea;

a guard on the night shift of an art gallery; a train driver whose train is just emerging from beneath a bridge in the moonlight, a hospital doctor doing the ward rounds; a street deserted save for the half dozen hard-hatted men and women mending the road. FInally, as a new day begins the same street shows the night workers leaving their places of work and some other people whose days are just beginning while in his rhyming narrative, author Peter Arrhenius asks youngsters to “Remember all the special things the night workers have done.’

A fun, gently educational book to share just before little ones snuggle down at bedtime.

Have Fun With Boardbooks

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Splish, Splash!
Sophie Ledesma and Isobel Otter
Little Tiger
What will Little Fish discover as it swims around beneath the ocean? By manipulating the various sliding mechanisms little ones will discover sea creatures large and small before bidding goodnight to the sleepy Little Fish that has splashed its way right through to the penultimate spread where there’s a convenient place to hide itself behind. ZZZZZ … 

On the final spread all the other creatures that were encountered on the previous pages are labelled. Huge fun and great for developing fine motor skills. Sophie Ledesma’s playful illustrations are full of patterns that add to the visual impact throughout this ‘slide and seek’ book.

Ladybird Ladybird What Can You See?
Pintachan
Little Tiger
This is the latest addition to Pintachan’s brightly illustrated lift-the-flap series wherein Amelia Hepworth introduces positional words – in, behind, inside and under during the game with Ladybird and Ant wherein various other partially hidden minibeasts depicted on the flaps are revealed by lifting the flaps. Ant too is revealed saying in turn ‘It’s Butterfly!’, ‘It’s Spider!’, ‘It’s Bee!’ ‘It’s Worm!’ while the final spread has a mirror hidden under its flap. 

With its simple, repeat refrain rhyming text this is huge fun to share with the very young as well as for beginning readers to read to their younger brothers or sisters. Ant has a different fruit or portion of one on each spread so this offers lots of talk potential – what is it? Who will eat it etc.

Where’s My Puppy?
Becky Davies, illustrated by Kate McLelland
Little Tiger
The mischievous looking puppy shown on the cover of this book has almost disappeared by the first spread and little ones can enjoy following the colourful footprints through the rest of the spreads to discover his whereabouts on the final page. Before that though they encounter in turn Guinea Pig, Kitten, and Pony each of which shares a feature in common with the pup. Guinea Pig has soft fur, Kitten a fluffy tail and Pony’s tongue is rough giving youngsters a variety of tactile experiences as they join in the game to find Puppy. 

With a repeat question on each spread this offers a joining in opportunity too.

Go Go Apple
Claire Philip and Steven Wood
Sunbird Books
I’ve never really considered what happens to apple cores collected in food waste as I always throw mine into a bin that’s emptied straight onto our own compost heap. So, it was interesting to see this title in the ‘My first recycling series’ and be able to follow the journey of one core from collection by a truck to the recycling plant and thence into a large machine where it’s mixed with leaves and other waste food and shredded. Some then goes off to become compost, the rest being liquified for farm manure or made into a gas that can be used for the heat and electricity of homes and cars.

With plenty of accompanying onomatopoeic sounds to join in with, a simple narrative description and fun illustrations, this is an interactive book to share with the very young be that at home or in an early years setting.

Peekaboo Sun
Camilla Reid and Ingela P Arrhenius
Nosy Crow
Babies and toddlers love to play peekaboo especially when there’s a mirror involved so they’ll thoroughly enjoy this addition to the sliders series with its fishes, sunshine, ice cream boat, crab and other things with a seaside theme. Rhyming couplets introduce the items in Ingela P Arrhenius’s jolly, patterned illustrations.

Great fun and an opportunity for little ones to develop their fine motor skills.