Tickly Toes
by Susan Hood
illustrated by Barroux
published by Kids Can Press
The Blurb
This sweet board book by bestselling children's book author Susan Hood uses playful, singsongy rhyme to capture a baby's joy in discovering her or his own toes. The voice is that of a loving adult speaking directly to Baby. "Those ten little piggies! Watch how they wiggle. We count them and kiss them and, oh, how you giggle!" Throughout the pages, we see that Baby doesn't want stuffed animals, or a rattle, or bath toys. All Baby wants is her or his own toes, and Baby even pulls off a booty to get at them! Finally, at the end of the book, Baby manages to grab a foot, and we see that the toes are headed straight into Baby's mouth. "You did it! So proud! Your sunny face glows. You grabbed them, you nabbed them -- those runaway FUN-all-day TICKLY TOES!" The artwork, by renowned author-illustrator Barroux, features close-ups of Baby, all of which spread across two pages. The bright colors and simple drawings are delightful and on their own are enough to make little ones giggle. This is a perfect book for preschoolers who still love to hear about what babies do and what happens in their lives. The voice is so encouraging as Baby eagerly approaches this developmental milestone, young children will enjoy sharing the warmth and happiness it conveys. All ten of Baby's toes are shown on several pages, which is great for counting, and one page includes all the numerals one to ten as well, for extra encouragement.
My Two Cents
I love board books. They are perfect for reading to infants...and they last all the way through the rough and tumble toddler years. They get slobbered on, bitten, dragged, creased, and loved. Most importantly, they get read! Usually over and over again!
This board book is a perfect addition to a baby gift. I particularly enjoyed that it can so easily be made interactive. I could picture myself counting my babies' toes as I read this. Kissing those sweet, tiny toes! Oh! Parents and grandparents will get all mushy reading this one and loving on the sweet little one in their life!
Labels: board book, gifts, love of reading, picture book, toddlers