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|summary=Rod Campbell's enchanting illustrations and very simple text in a lovely board book for babies and young children.
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My children have always been drawn to Rod Campbell's simple but appealing illustrations, so I was delighted to have a chance to review this book, even though my boys are now older than the expected age range. This is a very simple book. There are fifteen large die cut animals on a pastel coloured background. The illustrations have a unique quality to them that I can only describe as ''Rob Rod Campbell''. The animals all have friendly appearance, and a kind of gentleness to them. The front view of each animal has only the animal's name in bold black print. When you turn the page, there is a single sentence about the animal in smaller print. With a very young baby, the parent can read only the animals name, perhaps adding the sound for each animal. As the child grows older, the parents can begin reading the extra line on each animal. The fact the animals are larger than usual in these pictures, and on sturdy pages that are perfect for little hands, means this book would be ideal for babies as young as six months. I feel this would make a lovely first book for young child. As much as we loved [[Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell|dear Zoo]], I feel this book is even better for infants.
My youngest child is four, and at this age, I didn't expect him to take a great deal of interest in this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. He really enjoyed the illustrations, and is quite happy to sit looking through the pages and pretending to read the names of the animals. I have found most parents tend to discard this type of book as the children reach nursery age, however, I believe this type of book has a great deal of potential for emerging readers as well. I taught my son phonics, but he has explained how much this type of book helped him learn to read as he practiced reading the familiar text over and over again. I can remember doing the same thing myself as a child.