I Love My Daddy, by Giles Andreae, illustrated by Emma Dodd (Orchard, £10.99). 2+
The title says it all in this ebullient, if unsurprising, sequel to I Love My Mummy. The predictability is easily compensated for by the remarkable emotional intensity of Emma Dodd's bold illustrations, as they capture shared moments of pleasure between a baby and father as they romp and tease and finally end the day with a cosy bedtime story and snuggle. Giles Andreae's rhyming text provides a pleasingly bouncy accompaniment.
Pip and Posy: The Super Scooter, by Axel Scheffler (Nosy Crow, £7.99). 2+
Best-known for his illustrations of The Gruffalo, Axel Scheffler here turns his benign eye to the minutiae of toddler life. Anthropomorphic rabbit toddlers Pip and Posy are best friends and play together happily mostly! But when Posy seizes Pip's beloved scooter, the bonds of friendship are stretched. Although Posy's comeuppance brings out the best in Pip, the lesson of sharing is lightly made and the two make up to enjoy a happy afternoon playing in the sand. Scheffler's illustrations are full of comfort and gentle humour.
The Acorn, by Edward Gibbs (BF&F, £10.99). 3+
Beautiful use of every centimetre of every page adds immensely to the overall sense of delight this simple and well-rounded picture book gives. Adopting the familiar folk-story formula of a promise of something better later, the acorn saves its skin and, unusually, does exactly what it has said it will. Having seen off a squirrel, a rabbit and a red deer, it digs deep and grows tall, becoming an enormous and magnificent tree bursting with acorns itself, gloriously revealed under an opening flap. And then the story begins all over again . . .
Counting Birds, by Alice Melvin (Tate, £8.99). 4+
From the first crow of one noisy cockerel greeting the sun to 19 rooks returning to roost in the darkening night, this book counts beautifully through handsome peacocks, stately swans, racing pigeons and honking geese. Alice Melvin's boldly coloured screen prints are both visually striking and ornithologically precise.
Peepo!, by Janet & Allan Ahlberg (Puffin, £14.99). 2+
Happy birthday, Peepo! Although it is 30 years old (and in some ways older still, as it is full of nostalgia for the 1940s in which it is set), the Ahlbergs' classic is as witty, original and delightful as when it was first published. How a baby sees the world is simply created by the cut-out hole that shows a small detail of each subsequent scene before turning the page reveals the busy details of family life. Janet Ahlberg's loving recreation of the period, with an old-fashioned pram, washing-line hung with nappies and father in uniform, is full of small, recurring details that strengthen the depth of a story behind Allan's gently rhyming text. Packed in a handsome slipcase, this special anniversary edition will be a treat for a new generation of babies and their parents.
A Walk in London, by Salvatore Rubbino (Walker, £12.99). 5+
Within an attractive picture book format, this tale is also full of facts, introducing readers to all that is well-known in London, and much that is less so. Narrated by a girl on a trip to the city with her mother, the story revolves around visits to attractions such as Buckingham Palace and the Whispering Gallery of St Paul's Cathedral, but it also focuses on entertaining street life and the majesty of London's parks. A final spread opens out into a glorious panorama of the city.
Lost in the Toy Museum, by David Lucas (Walker, £11.99). 3+
Setting alive the toys in the museum creates a playful adventure in this dreamy "what if" story. As soon as the doors of the museum are locked, the toys bounce off the shelves and the fun and games begin. Hide and seek around the museum leads to a fantastical trip to a faraway land before all the toys are found, counted and hurried back to their places on the shelves in readiness for the next day's visitors. David Lucas's stylised illustrations and unusual use of perspectives cleverly convey the magic of this engaging story.
Little Red Hood, by Marjolaine Leray, translated by Sarah Ardizzone (Phoenix Yard Books, £7.99). 5+
Someone is always going to come out badly in any version of the classic story of how a little girl in a red hood fares against a big bad wolf. This time, the action never reaches the grandmother so the tension vividly illustrated in sketchy line drawings is between the wolf and the fierce but insouciant little girl. The familiar phrases of big ears and big teeth are bandied between the two before the dramatic final showdown. An elegant and sophisticated tease of a book.
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