Kitten Corner: Board Books Galore!

Where’s Mrs Doctor? by Ingela P Arrhenius, from Nosy Crow

We adore this series! I’ve reviewed several of the Felt Flaps books here before (Where’s Mrs Queen, and Where’s Mrs Car, to mention a couple), and the series goes from strength to strength. This hospital themed book is particularly lovely – I’m so happy to see a female doctor and paramedic and a male nurse, helping break down persistent stereotypes, and it’s also fabulous to see the diversity of skin tones across both medical staff and patients. The artwork is bright and simple, and the felt flaps are SO grabbable – plus there’s a lovely mirror at the end!

Peekaboo House by Camilla Reid and Ingela P Arrhenius, from Nosy Crow

The fifth Peekaboo book is probably my favourite yet – it’s full of sliders that make household items pop up or spin in fun ways, and features possibly the cutest piece of toast I’ve ever seen! These books never fail to raise a smile, and I like that this one explores some specifically everyday things like the washing machine that are already so familiar yet fascinating to babies. If you only buy one series for a baby learning to love books, make it this one!

Bear and Mouse Go To Nursery by Nicola Edwards and Maria Neradova, from Little Tiger

This sweet series looks at the everyday life of Bear and Mouse, and is very calm and relatable for little kids as it encompasses things they will have experience of, like naps and play, rather than wild fantasy elements. I’m not personally a huge fan of the colours and art style, as I find them a bit dated, but what I do love about these is the simple but very effective way that the flaps and sliders are used. In this one, you can slide Mouse down the slide, or spin a wheel to change the picture on the easel, and there’s a fantastic big picture at the end where you can rock Bear and Mouse side to side as they dance. The interaction is just really cleverly made part of each scene, which I think is brilliant!

Sometimes Babies… by Charlotte Trounce, from Nosy Crow

This is a super cute book of opposites, exploring all the different things babies can be with the help of adorable animal illustration and sweet rhymes. It finishes with a big mirror (always a favourite for little readers!) for the best baby of all! I really enjoy how simple and calm this book is – sometimes you don’t want a hugely detailed, hugely involved book, and this will suit bedtimes and quiet times perfectly. Simply lovely!

I’m Thinking of a Jungle Animal by Adam and Charlotte Guillain and Lucia Gaggiotti

This animal book is informative and fun – it’s labelled as non-fiction, but the jaunty rhymes and framework of a guessing game give it story vibes as well. Each spread has a child (again, with a nice balance of gender and skin tones) who offers clues to the jungle animal they’re thinking of, and then a lovely layered jungle scene with cutouts and a slider to reveal the animal. The format works beautifully to build up suspense, and the artwork itself is gorgeous – I’d like to frame the majestic tiger! I’m definitely going to be looking out for the rest of this series – I think it will be a favourite.