Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Big Book of Words and Pictures
Board book
For ages 1 to 5
Gecko Press, 2012 ISBN: 978-1877579059
When children start getting to know the world around them in earnest they sometimes go a little crazy. They want to know the name of everything, they want to look at everything, and grownups are forever having to answer questions. It can be a very exhausting time if you happen to be a grownup.
In this wonderful large format board book, Ole Konnecke has created ten double page spreads that provide little children with pictures of many of the things that fill their world. There are dozens of individual (and labeled) pictures, and there are also scenes to explore.
On the first page we see the kinds of things one might find in a bedroom, like toys, beds, and a mother holding her baby. The fun part is that all the ‘people’ in this book are not people at all. They are animals instead, and their actions tell little stories.
On the opposite page, we see many of the things that one finds in a bathroom. A bear is brushing its hair in front of a mirror, a horse is brushing its teeth, and there are pictures of a towel, a lipstick, a sponge, and many other objects.
Later in the book we see a countryside scene that melds into a coastal scene. Above the countryside scene there are pictures of a moose, a bear, a rabbit, a sheep and other animals that one might find in woods, mountains, and fields. Above the sea there is a whale, a seal, and other marine creatures. We also see animals playing and swimming in the water, sailing a sailboat, and sunbathing on a beach.
In other parts of the book we explore different kinds of vehicles, musical instruments, sports, numbers, the alphabet, and much more.
This is the kind of book children will love to explore on their own, and it is also a perfect book for grownups to share with their children. Over time, youngsters will start to recognize words on their own, and they will grow to love the images and the characters that appear on the pages. This title really does do what it promises. It “contains the whole world of childhood.”
