KBR Recommends: Picture Books - Feb 2011

Build your baby's vocabulary with this new Baby Einstein first words book. Split into familiar categories such as animals, nature, food and babies themselves, the youngest learners will be able to identify the names of familiar objects.

Title: Baby Einstein First Words
Author: Julie Aigner-Clark
Illustrator: Nadeem Zaidi
Publisher: Disney, $12.99
Publication Date: 2008
Format: Board book
ISBN: 9781423113027
For ages: 0+
Type: Picture Book

The ballerina theme will prove irresistible to little girls and little-girls-at-heart. Cover features exquisite, eye-catching glitter. Internal novelty features include a mini envelope with pull-out invitation, and a removable list. Princess and Fairy have been invited to attend the Ballet Frou-Frou, where they'll both see their idols Coco and Bijou! Two pairs of red, enchanted ballet slippers are waiting to fly them there!

Hop in and join Princess and Fairy-the two most adorable bunnies in all of Fairyland-as they pirouette across the pages in their latest glittering adventure.

Title: Princess and Fairy Twinkly Ballerinas
Author/Illustrator: Anna Pignataro
Publisher: Scholastic, $19.99
Publication Date: November 2010
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781741695359
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture book

I didn't find a friend in a bag of chips . . .
I didn't find a friend up a tree . . .
I didn't find a friend in a puddle . . .
I found a friend and my friend found me.

An irresistible picture book about the delights and niggles of first friendships.

Title: I Found a Friend and My Friend Found Me
Author/Illustrator: Beth Norling
Publisher: Penguin, $24.95
Publication Date: August 2010
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780670072590
For ages: 0+
Type: Picture Book

When a pair of adorable kittens joins the family, Marley is so excited to have two new friends to play with that he follows the felines everywhere. But Marley is no graceful kitten. By imitating their gentle behavior, he unintentionally makes a mess all over the house and gets into big trouble for it. What did I do this time? he wonders. Marley is afraid he may have lost his number-one status in the household . . . until an unlikely pair reminds him and his family that no one's purrrrr-fect!

Title: Marley and the Kittens
Author: John Grogan
Illustrator: Richard Cowdrey
Publisher: HarperCollins, $12.99
Publication Date: April 2010
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780061714863
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

This wonderful picture book by acclaimed author Mem Fox has a wonderful, rollicking, rhyming text reminiscent of Where is the Green Sheep? And just like the super successful Green Sheep, early readers will be memorising the simple text - as well as honing their numeracy skills with all the crazy goats to count!

Title: Let's Count Goats
Author: Mem Fox
Illustrator: Jan Thomas
Publisher: Penguin, $19.95
Publication Date: October 2010
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780670075058
For ages: 0+
Type: Picture Book

Introducing Little Red Ute! Fourth and final book in the four-book series. It's perfect for little children who love cars and trucks.

Little Red Ute enters his first parade but Green Wheelbarrow is left behind. How can the foreman help the two friends make this parade the best ever?

Title: Little Red Ute and the Ute Parade
Author: Mitch Lewis
Illustrator: Nahum Ziersch
Publisher: Scholastic, $9.99
Publication Date: November 2010
Format: Softcover
ISBN: 9781862918795
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book