Review: Count with Maisy, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep!

Seeing the cover of a Maisy book always takes me back to reading Maisy stories with my children when they were very young. The bold lines and bright colours drew the kids’ attention from an early age and the easy to follow stories of Maisy’s adventures with her friends were just right for a toddler story time.

Count with Maisy, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep! is a  relatively new addition to Lucy Cousins’s collection of Maisy stories. Readers follow Maisy and mother hen as they wander about the farm trying to find 10 chicks, who are hiding behind gates, in the garden, in the pigsty and elsewhere. Each double page features at least one flap for children to lift as they search for the missing chicks.

Large format pages make this book suitable for reading with groups of children at play groups or day care as well as at home. Preschoolers will enjoy the challenging of counting from 1 to 10 with Maisy as she discovers each new chick. While the flaps are relatively sturdy, young children will still need to be supervised to ensure the flaps aren’t torn or damaged by enthusiastic little fingers.

I love the Maisy stories for their simplicity and bright illustrations, which hold so much appeal for very young children. I think every young child should have at least one Maisy book on their bookshelf.

Title: Count with Maisy, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep!
Author/Illustrator: Lucy Cousins
Publisher: Walker Books, $19.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 February 2016
Format: Hard Cover (lift-the-flap pages)
ISBN: 9781406357318
For ages: 0-4
Type: Picture Book