Come on babies, make some noise with Maisy the mouse, as you enjoy this colourful buggy book. Munch Munch, Maisy is one of a series of buggy books starring Lucy Cousin’s well-established characters. Designed for babies, these small board books have a cloth strap and plastic hoop which makes attachment to a bouncer or buggy simple. As the front cover points out, buggy books are portable: you can take the book anywhere and read on the go. In an age where we are promoting books from birth, these prove an asset for any parent keen to get started. Like many buggy books, this is not a story but instead we follow Maisy through a typical day and a variety of activities. The bright, cheerful illustrations are accompanied by simple repetitive text that identifies the sound associated with the activity, e.g. splash splash for bathtime. Naturally, this kind of book encourages babies to connect sounds with activities and also to mimick those sounds. It also provides opportunities to develop vocabulary and there is plenty to discuss from familiar activities, to what we did today. The good news is, it doesn’t need to be an adult who shares the book, as the thick board pages are perfect for little hands, making this simple enough for a toddler to share with a baby.

2008-05-25