Old Favourites - Rhyme Books from Ladybird

Some of these titles have been around for quite some time but they have really grown with us. I started using them when Rosie was a tiny baby and even now when she picks them out for me to read to her. I think it's the comforting familiarity of them and the fact that she now likes to shout sing them when we're out and about. I don't think these are in print any more since I couldn't find them on the Ladybird website but they are available on Amazon.

First up is a real classic Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Weirdly this book is called Twinkle, Twinkle but doesn't have the rhyme in the book. It doesn't really bother us though! It's pretty much a perfect example of this type of book in my opinion - and it's not called a playbook for nothing. It has tactile numbers on each double page and two rhymes, one classic (like Two Little Dicky Birds) and one made up by the author to compliment the rhyme. It also has a raised wavy line along the bottom to follow (in the case of Two Little Dicky Birds you follow the birds flying along). This is great because by helping your child to follow the line you're helping them to develop the fine motor skills needed for writing etc.

The Wheels on the Bus is another great playbook. All the rhymes included are action rhymes and show the actions you can do on each page. It includes the rhyme Dingle Dangle Scarecrow which is one of our favourites! The extra bits are meaningful as well. The touch and feel to follow the bus round and round. The hat that flaps up on the scarecrow. The peapod that flaps up to say 'Pop'.

Another rhyme book I want to mention, although you can now only get it second hand because it's out of print is Hey Diddle Diddle. It's full of bouncing rhymes for babies including Pat a Cake, Little Miss Muffet and Incy Wincy Spider. It's much more simple than the two above but because of that it's very easy to use with a much younger baby. I find myself acting out the rhymes on the page rather than doing the actions with my baby as suggested since it's much easier. So for Hickory Dickory Dock I run my fingers up the clock and then mimic a clock ticking with my hand. For Pat a Cake I just pat the page. But for This Little Piggy I do use Rosie's toes or fingers!