August 1, 2020
Toddler-PreS-Babies are introduced to scientific terminology in these bright, warmly illustrated board books about smell, taste, and touch. The series follows a simple board book format with one key difference: the addition of big words. Each book begins with a cheerful baby experiencing one of the senses while helping their caregiver with a daily activity. One baby smells bread baking while grocery shopping, another eats strawberries while helping in the kitchen, and the third handles soft laundry and the hard laundry basket. After this initial introduction, the text explains, "Everything in the world is made of atoms and molecules." Then the text details the parts of the nose, tongue, and skin, respectively, that send signals to the human brain to create the experience of smelling, tasting, and touching. Higher concept board books are available in many shapes and sizes, and this series is particularly successful as it keeps the science as simple as possible. Babies and toddlers will be attracted to the joyful, inviting illustrations depicting familiar activities, and parents will love the practical explanation of the different senses. The vocabulary and labeled anatomical diagrams are appealing and occupy the middle of each book's narrative. Concise sentences are placed at the beginning and end of the text. VERDICT Purchase in public libraries where board books are popular.-Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood P.L., MA
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