Thank you to Pajama Press for sending me A Good Day For Ducks by Jane Whittingham with illustrations by Noel Tuazon and From 1 to 10 by Mies Van Hout. These two books are delightful!
A Good Day For Ducks takes children on a rainy day excursion as two siblings get ready to go outside to puddle jump, get muddy, watch a family of ducks and find wiggly squiggly worms, before heading back inside as a storm comes. Inside the two children take off their rain gear, "tug tug, pull pull." Cozy sweatshirts and bunny slippers are in order! And of course, rainy days often call for hot chocolate and art. "Ducks are splashing in our pictures, flap flap, quack quack, on the page." On the final page of the book you see the two children at the window admiring a rainbow while their pictures of ducks, worms, rain, fish and a thunderstorm hang to dry.
A book that celebrates a child's natural curiosity as well as an excitement for spending time in nature, the book also has a touch-and-feel component, allowing children to run their fingers along the raised raindrops. An inspiration to children and parents to embrace those rainy days, A Good Day For Ducks reminds me of a time in childhood when time felt slower and more peaceful and the day was full of endless possibilities.
On to From 1 to10! As I always say, I love board books with big illustrations. When you go to show a child under one year of age a book, I think it's so important to show them pages that aren't overcrowded so that they can zero in on each illustration. From 1 to 10 allows children to do just that. With one animal per two-page spread, children will easily be able to see the bear, the bunny rabbit, the ladybug, etc..
With so much character and vibrance to these illustrations, I particularly like how From 1 to 10 doesn't ask children to count the same animal multiple times, or even different animals multiple times, but simply invites children to count an octopuses arms, or a crocodile's teeth, or the whiskers on a cat. The back page of the book also includes other recommendations for counting around the house, such as making a counting book from your child's own drawings. A cheering first concept book and one that families will enjoy reading over and over again as a child develops the skills to count all the way to ten.
Enjoy!