Clap hands series by Pat-a-cake

Ages: 0 – 4) Recommended. Board Book. Boldly illustrated as a series of four rhyming texts, each is your classic 'touch and feel' board book, every page featuring a differently textured material for parts of the characters' bodies. Here come the monkeys depicts different species of monkey on each page with Koko on page 3 bearing a lovely rough paw made of hessian that tells our little reader she must have been doing quite a lot of walking in addition to swinging from tree to tree. Each character is introduced by name and a little birdy, who remains nameless throughout the series, points out each feely feature. The reader is bid to clap hands for the clever creature at the turn of the page. My 11 month old granddaughter delights in the opportunity to display her recently acquired clapping skills after having a good feel. All the touchy textiles are well embedded making the book sturdy and long lasting. In the case of Here come the dinosaurs, the reader is introduced to a range of creatures falling under that umbrella with contractions of the species' names for each one. Terry is Pterodactyl's name and he sports one beautifully shiny foil wing which little birdy on the side sagely points out. The fold out surprise page at the end of each book provides an overview of and contextualizes the monkey, puppy, kitten or dinosaur varieties and providing an opportunity for further discussion with the older toddler. You do need to make the suggestion to your little reader however, that care must be taken with the fold-out, as it is not quite as sturdy as the rest of the book. A great little series for the very youngest of readers to get them hooked on books. Elizabeth Avery