Annotation: Cute chubby babies play, dance, eat and wave while smiling and having fun.

Review: Clap Hands is one of a series of four board books by Helen Oxenbury that includes All Fall Down, Say Goodnight, and Tickle Tickle. Each book features adorable, slightly chubby, multi-ethnic infants engaged in basic play and daily routines, like eating or bedtime. Clap Hand focuses on the babies having fun while dancing, clapping waving at mom, and banging on pots and pans. Infants should enjoy looking at the pictures of the babies and their happy faces. It is also a book parents can act out with their toddler, which is a pleasant way to work on early motor skills. The board book is oversize, which increases the size of the pictures, giving the toddlers great close up views of the babies’ expressions and movements. Clap Hands is recommended for toddlers, but could also work as a read aloud to younger children.

Citations:

The School Library Journal agrees that the lively illustrations and close ups of the babies faces will appeal to toddlers. They mention the books oversize format could be a problem for it may frustrate toddlers who have difficulty turning the larger than normal pages. I doubt that this is much of an issue, for from what I’ve seen of infants and toddlers using board books, they turn them any which way, and open them from the back as well as the front. Its size is more of a plus for the illustrations are larger, which is would appeal to this age group.

Kewish, Nancy. "Clap hands." School Library Journal 34 (Sept 1987): 167(2). ( )