Many kiwi kids have the privilege of growing up near the sea everyday. My two year old regularly loves a trip to look at the ‘crabbies’ on our local shore, lifting rocks and giving looks of glee as the crabs run out and dash sideways around him. So a little book like this that helps him put many words to what he sees at the beach is really lovely.
I’m liking
Prominent author Dave Gunson has created a great series about NZ plants and wildlife, and the NZ Shore and Sea title is no exception. I love the large, realistic and colourful images.
This board book is a great size – with thick pages that are turned easily. Both English and Maori names are given for each creature/object.
Things that made me go hmmmm
Just a few of the pages present fishlife and the like that are not as common as some that could have been chosen. This is both a positive – in terms of learning something new, and a negative – in that I want to be able to relate the pictures to real life experiences and things my son is familiar with.
The conclusion
At $12.99 this book is a great addition to a child’s bookshelf, and will be useful in other learning environments such as childcare centres. Aimed at the 2-5 year old age bracket, I can also see babies enjoying looking at the large, vivid images as presented on these pages.
NZ Shore and Sea is published by New Holland.
