The Roly-Poly Baby product reviews

I enjoyed the uncluttered style of this book. My friend had called with her two-and-a-bit-year-old just as I was getting ready to write a review without any children to help me, so I was very pleased to see her. I explained that I was about to check out a new book and her daughter might like to help me. So Miss Two-and-a-bit was plonked on to my knee and we opened at the first page.

I had thought we could read it quickly, but Miss Two-and-a-bit had other plans. She homed in on the front page which features three children and a baby with their mother - not forgetting the dog, the birds in the sky, the cat, and the man on a tractor who one must assume is her father. She patted each of the pictures in turn and named them after the members of her own family. (She actually has two older brothers and no sisters, but that did not stop her; she allocated names to all of them and when she came to the girl she just decided that she was a brother we well, so we had two children in the picture both referred to as Zack!)

When I started to read the words to her, she listened intently and then repeated the word "rolled" after me. That was fun so we read each page again so she could join in. The bright graphics were appealing too, and she kept trying to go backwards to look at various pictures again. The father tickling the baby's foot was her favourite, and she turned back several times to check that one out once more.

Her second favourite page was the picture of the baby lying on her back outside, surrounded by butterflies, while the dog looked on. This page featured the words "bump, bump, bump" and she enjoyed repeating that too. Finally, when we had finished reading, she got down from my knee and started rolling across the floor herself. Then she stood up, announced "I'm rolling!" then promptly got back down again for another roll.

It is wonderful seeing a very small child get so much enjoyment from a book. I noticed that, when she turned the pages (both back and forth!), she was very careful not to damage the paper. I was so glad she had turned up at just the right time so that I could get a genuine reaction to the story. Sometimes we adults discount the value of simple things.

When I discovered this book was up for review I knew I had to have this book. My 3 year old rolled everywhere as a baby until he was 10 months old before he learned how to crawl. We always used to joke around that he was our roly poly baby so this is a book we will treasure and will be added to the memory box when he outgrows the story.

The book is a sweet little baby that rolled and rolled and rolled a bit more. My three year old loved this story and found it really funny that roly poly baby. We read it over and over again he doesn't seem to tire but it is pleasant to read with its bouncy rhyme. A simple enough story that after a while the children can join in with you as you read. This has been the most requested book this week but I think he enjoys me telling him about him being the roly poly baby.

The illustrations are beautiful and really well done with sequenced pictures of the places the roly poly baby rolled, I love the way even the writing rolled with the baby this makes it interesting to read. My favourite illustration by far is the double page of the roly poly baby lying with a ladybird on her nose. The rhyme on this Page made my boy giggle with a sparrow pecking at her toes

Such a sweet story to share with young children and one you could easily introduce to young babies who would enjoy the rhythm of the story.

Miss three fell in love with this book from the moment she set eyes on it. She simply loves babies! Initially, my response wasn't the same! Miss three insisted that I read it and reread to her many times over the past week. Each time, she loved it more and more. She would giggle and smile as the baby rolled around the place. She enjoyed finishing the sentences for me as she became more and more familiar with the text.

I have got to say that the enjoyment that she got from the book made it grow on me and I now see that the simplicity of the book and illustrations is something that really appealed to my daughter. It made me think about the fact that children often do love the silly little stories and they often become the favourites. I know that I am guilty of rushing through things and needing things to be full of energy and movement. This book is a good chance to reflect on the speed of life and enjoy the small things. Being a child should be full of awe and children should be able to cherish the time to lie on the ground and enjoy nature.

There is plenty of rhyme in the book and it is easy for young children to join in with. Miss three became very good at remembering the last word of each phrase. The illustrations are cute and gentle. The colour choices are calming to the eye and made me relax and chill out a bit while reading the text. I like the way the text is written as it makes the words interesting to look at for young children.

So now I have to say that I really do appreciate this book and I think that I got as much out of the book as my daughter did. Reading it reminds me of the need to chill out and play with the butterflies, as well as allowing my children the time to do it as well!