Whizzy Wheels – Bizzy Bear : Train
Those of you that regularly check out my Board Book content on here will know we are HUGE fans of the Bizzy Bear series, so imagine the excitement and squeals when a Bizzy Bear book that has 4 wheels to be able to push the book along with arrived! I love when a new format or feature is included in a book I have the pleasure of working with for my blog happens, and this turning wheels and pushing the book along format is just fabulous.
The rhyming sentences that take us on a train journey to the seaside have a lyrical feel to them, setting a pace that resembles the clickety clack we have come to know and love on train journeys, and I really love that about this book. Bizzy Bear drives the train and little ones get to learn about a trains travel, all whilst enjoying the stunning illustrations depicting the most beautiful scenes you’d expect when travelling – from the train station all the way through to the destination itself. Another amazing design feature within this book is the scattering of questions little ones can answer using the information and illustrations on the respective train, for example “what colour is the train?” and we love these because they ensure you are taking in all the glorious detail within the design of this book.
I have no doubt what so ever that this is going to be a HUGE hit with little ones, fans of Bizzy Bear or not, and if you’ve yet to get acquainted with Bizzy Bear there is a huge catalogue of titles to choose from; some of them are transport themed if you are looking to continue with that theme in your selecting too.
Lion’s Cleaning Day
This instalment in the series by Nicola Kent adds to the chores themed overall content of the series perfectly. Earlier titles include:
- Bear’s Wash Day
- Croc’s Cooking Day
- Hippo’s Garden Day
We get to help Lion as he cleans his home ready for his friend, Bear, to come visit. Using the interactive elements within this book little ones are literally helping Lion make progress with the chores, from sliders to flaps and even spinners – there is much to enjoy engaging with for little ones. Lion polishes and hoovers, and also does the washing up, and we get to see the before and after of things as progress is achieved. The illustrative style feels very traditional and soft, and you will love seeing a variety of rooms and contents of them included in the unfolding scenes.
Little ones will be familiar with much of that which is included inside this book as parents are always tidying up around and after them, and it will resonate with them to be able to take part in those activities through interacting with this book, and all whilst ensuring their knowledge of chores and cleaning products is built on too.
Don’t Ever Mess with a Monkey
Another fun book in this “An A-PEEL-ING Pop-Up Book” series has arrived, and these books always make us so happy because the pop ups housed inside are of such great quality and design that they really do immediately become a huge hit with children of all ages – including me! The pop ups add a huge element of surprise, awaiting you discovering them, with each turn of the page, and they are spectacular.
The variety of animals that are the actual pop ups include a zebra, hyena, rhino, ostrich, and of course concludes with a monkey. They are sizeable, and of course that adds to the LOLs and WOW factor, which is what little ones love, and of course it goes without saying you will definitely want the other titles in this series, which include:
- Don’t take a T-Rex out for Tea
- Don’t ever Smile at a Shark
- Don’t ever Laugh at a Ladybird
- Don’t ever Conga with a Cow
The use of alliteration in the title is a perfect way of reflecting the craziness that awaits, and it is brim full of funny antics inside this book – all of which will have little ones laughing away as they admire the striking illustrations and the bold colours too. The way the sentences rhyme adds a vibe to this book that further compliments the illustrations and pop-up format of the book perfectly, making this an all round hit for children of all ages.
Count Down on the Farm and Count Down at the Building Site
This newly released duo are the first two in what I hope is an never ending series for little ones to enjoy, and with the sliding counters to interact with they most definitely will enjoy every bit these books have to offer.
Focusing on “Count down on the Farm” first, we get to do a count down from 5 to 1 with each page focusing on each of the numbers in that sequence, and has an activity for little ones to complete via a question linked to the sliders page of each to page spread, one example being “5 sheep… to move into the field. Count as you go!”.
The colour palette throughout the book has a springtime feel to it, or an outdoorsy one I guess, and it is totally befitting of a Farm based board book. The usual of pastel colours as the page background is both eye catching and calming, and we are huge fans of the sheep dog being featured on each two page spread too – offering some friendly continuity. The tasks little ones can do in relation to the sliders make engaging with them have a sense of purpose, alongside feeling as though they are a part of the work and activities being completed on the farm. Put simply, this is a fabulous book that little ones will cherish.
Heading over to “Count down at the Building Site” I have to say I would be hard pushed to pick a favourite of these two. They are both utterly brilliant as a standalone book or together, complimenting each other with that same counting down from 5 to 1 with a brilliant array of building site themed content to really inspire awaiting little ones inside this book. Utlising the sliders means materials get delivered to the building site, staff arrive, and you even get to help builders climb ladders! There is so much detail in the illustrated scenes to pick out and admire, with little ones learning much more building related information as a result. I hope 2026 brings more titles to follow on from these two, and what a fantastic duet of books to introduce the style and format of “Count down” titles to the world.
