Emily Hruby

[This review has been edited and republished]

I saw the cover of this board book at ALA and it really grabbed my eye, but the book itself was disappointing. The idea of bright colors and geometric shapes was good, but the execution of the design is too complicated for a board book for small children. It gets very crowded and some of the more abstract shapes are hard to identify as the various plants and other garden things.

The book is a thick square, 9x9 inches, and has a lot of thick pages - show more it weighs almost a pound! I am a little doubtful about the binding of such a thick book holding up as well. It's from a small publisher and is more spendy than the average board book - about $10.

Verdict: I would have been more likely to purchase this as a concept book for preschool age kids, and when I did a little searching it looks like it is actually available as a hardcover, but as a board book it misses the mark. Toddlers and babies might enjoy the bright colors and geometrical shapes, but they are likely to have trouble identifying the objects and the weight of the board book is an issue, while the cost is more than most libraries will spend on a board book.

ISBN: 9781623260057; Published 2013 by Ammo; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

This book uses commonly found items in a garden to count to 12.
2 books