This Little Piggy and Other Rhymes to Sing and Play, edited by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand, musical arrangements by Adam Stemple (Walker £14.99)
What's the best and simplest way to entertain a baby or toddler? With clapping, finger and action rhymes of course. For those who have forgotten the favourites of their own childhoods, this big treasury is a must, with lots of lesser known ditties thrown in too. Ride-a-cock Horse, Dickery-Dickery-Dock and Pat-a-Cake rub shoulders with dozens of rarer but equally enjoyable ones. It's beautifully illustrated with gentle pictures of pig-people. Some also have musical notation for those who can read it. (Age 0-4)
Rabbit Pie by Penny Ives (Puffin £10.99)
This is Mother Rabbit's own special recipe for turning her six mischievous bunnies into a nice tasty pie. It's full of naughtiness and fun from games to bath time, with dollopings of stories and being slowly warmed in bed. A picture book that's very clever, very original and very entertaining. (2-5)
Comet the Fairy Dog by Mary Murphy (Red Fox £5.99)
Here's an adorable picture book, half story and half a pretend manual, all about fairy dogs. As Comet goes through his first year of life, we see pictures from the family photo album showing him learning to fly, making sparkling light and all the more mundane things that small children and puppies love to do. Then it's time for him to leave home, have adventures in the big wild world and find a home of his own. Attractively conceived and designed, with really cute, brightly coloured pictures. (Age 2-4)
While You Are Sleeping by Alexis Deacon (Hutchinson £10.99)
Most small children go to bed with a whole menagerie of soft toys around them. This wonderful picture book tells what they get up to while the child is asleep. The toys change from being 'still as stone' to frantically busy little creatures who check the bedroom right over, adjust the child's covers and even scare bad dreams away. Such a good idea, you wonder why no-one's thought of it before. The softly drawn pictures are enchanting. (2-5)
Dippy's Sleepover by Jane Clarke and Mary McQuillan (Bodley Head £10.99)
Dippy is a small dinosaur with a big problem - he wets the bed. His mum is stoical about the daily sheet changes, but Dippy is really worried as his best friend has just invited him to a sleepover. Can he manage to stay dry as the important night grows nearer? The answer is no - but Dippy need not have worried after all, as it turns out that his friend has exactly the same problem. A witty and entertaining picture story about a very common childhood worry. (Age 4-7)
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett (Macmillan £6.99)
This book contains just four words, several commas and lots of endearingly lively pictures of the four title objects in different combinations and poses. Simple enough to fascinate babies, the subtly changing word combinations will intrigue their adult companions too. (Age 1-3)
The Opposite by Tom MacRae and Elena Odriozola (Andersen Press £10.99)
The Opposite is an annoying gremlin who appears one day on Nate's bedroom ceiling. Whenever Nate tries to do something to tame him, exactly the opposite happens. From then on, everything goes wrong. At breakfast Nate pours milk up to the air instead of into his cereal. At school his paint goes everywhere except on the paper. Then Nate discovers how to get the better of the Opposite: if he says the opposite to what he wants, the right thing happens after all. Very clever and very funny, though the grotesquely stylised paintings won't be to everyone's taste. (Age 5-7)
Published: 04/04/2006
