Pride & Prejudice: A BabyLit Counting Primer

I have read all of Jane Austen works, many biographies, nonfiction, and oodles of sequels — but an Austen-inspired children’s board book? Whoa! Curious? I was. Don’t ya just love the creativity that our Jane inspires?

When I first heard about Pride & Prejudice: Little Miss Austen (BabyLit) by Jennifer Adams, the same author who wrote the lovely Remarkably Jane: Notable Quotations on Jane Austen, I was quite intrigued. Would this be a retelling of one of my favorite classic novels for very young readers? How would it translate into a children’s counting primer? And, how the heck would I review a children’s book – total virgin territory for me.

Once I had a copy of the book in hand, many of my concerns were immediately show more dispelled. It was indeed a board book, a small compact cardboard version of a book — easy for a child to hold, unrippable and chewable. (Yes. As a bookseller, I have seen many a toddler stick a board book in their mouth and gnaw on it like a teething ring.) At 22 pages, it was both compact and lightweight, but what will ultimately appeal to parent and child is the total Pride and Prejudice theme that author Jennifer Adams and illustrator Alison Oliver have embraced. From the bright and cheery front cover displaying an image of (one assumes) a wide eyed, and very young Miss Austen, to the 20 clever and striking illustrations inside, I was awed by the choice of characters, Regency clothing and objects used and the ease of the text.

As we progress through the book, each of the pages also moves through the opening chapters of Pride and Prejudice, ending at 10,000 pounds a year. Jennifer Adams has selected key points and characters admirably. Parents, grandparents and anyone who is an Austen fan will recognize their favorite characters and scenes, and children will be enchanted by the illustrations and the counting theme. Of course this board book format could not be a full retelling of the entire narrative, but it gives the very young reader an introduction to characters, images, and a bit of the story that they can remember when they watch the movie adaptation and later move into the full novel.

Charming, whimsical and historical accurate, Pride & Prejudice: Little Miss Austen, offers the very young reader an early introduction to Jane Austen – planting seeds for her total world take-over!

Laurel Ann, Austenprose show less

This "Little Miss Austen" counting book may be intended for toddlers; however it will surely be enjoyable for the caregiver as well. Alison Oliver uses a very unique and untraditional style for illustrations intended for children. The colors, patterns, and composition are pleasing to the eye, but I would recommend it be read to an individual rather than a story time group. This book will definitely introduce new words and names to the child, and may seem a little out of the ordinary, particularly on page 7; "4 marriage proposals". The next page illustrates 4 actual proposals between 4 pairs. This book may not be for everyone, but I recommend you read it even for yourself.

Try not to judge me too hard, but I fell in love with these adorable baby board books while babysitting this past weekend, and I was deeply saddened that the children I had knew how to count and stuff. I'm a sucker for things like this, too, even though I don't want to be, and the sampler-esque feel to the Austen cover and the paper doll-style art of both books just charmed me from the start.

So, how nuanced can a counting book be, right? About half of each book is specific to the story (four marriage proposals, from the Austen, for example, or five friends, from the Shakespeare) and the other half is general cutesy kid-ness (seven horses or eight musicians, whatever). (And yes, I did pose my pictures, only because my table was a show more crumb-laden mess and how pretty would that have been??) (And finally, my favorite page from the Austen book: ten.) Adorbs! So, not a ton of substance, but a bunch of cute, which works for me.

(They're coming out with Jane Eyre, too. I kind of can't wait.)

I judge their tag line, however: "Baby Lit™ is a fashionable way to introduce your baby to the world of classic literature." Really? Fashionable? I didn't know there was an unfashionable way to introduce my baby to classic lit, but then again, I'm not the trendy one of my circle. show less

I'm in love with this series! The babylit books introduce classic works of literature to young children. The idea is just to acquaint children with the name and key ideas of the books, and find a toddler appropriate focus for each story. For example, this book teaches counting. The text is very simple. Each two-page spread introduces a number (from one to ten) and an element from the story, accompanied by a matching illustration on the following page. Five sisters, four marriage proposals, eight musicians, and so on. The illustrations are cute, with subdued colors and humorous compositions. For children, the book is interesting with its attractive pictures and count up to ten. For adults, the book is rife with clever nods to the show more original story, and is a fun read aloud to share with their children. When these kids grow up, they will have a basic familiarity with Pride and Prejudice hopefully will draw them to read the actual novel. This is a wonderful concept that is well executed. show less

E was, again, indifferent. But I'm upping it a whole star just for that final page. Admit it. You heard it just like the 1995 version. Though I do think 6-8 could have been a bit more connected to the story.

I do not think that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies can top this charming and funny recasting of P&P as a counting book for kids.

The whole series of books is so stinking cute. I adore them all, though [b:Alice in Wonderland: A Colors Primer|13091239|Alice in Wonderland A Colors Primer|Jennifer Adams|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327934899s/13091239.jpg|18262978] is probably my favorite. The best thing about this book, at least for me, is the enhanced e-book for iPad and the like. The activities are simple enough for young kids to enjoy, but once you get to the page where you can dress Lizzy in different outfits, I'm pretty sure you'll take over and make the kids watch as you play with it. It's adorable.

*disclaimer: I used to work for the publisher, so I got to take a peek at the art for the upcoming Little Master Stoker: Dracula Counting Primer. I'm in love show more with it. It's absolutely hilarious and cute as all get-out. show less