Books always everywhere by Jane Blatt

Ill. by Sarah Massini. Nosy Crow, 2013. ISBN 978 0 85763 089 6.
(Age: 3+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Books and reading. With a scattering of funny children, babies and animals, this book promotes the sharing of books with just about everybody, anywhere and anytime. From the first page with an enormous elephant on the illustration of a book's page, complete with a mouse hiding behind the book, children are in for a treat as they find contrasting words and images brought together in books. The double fun of a book being represented in a book will not be lost on younger readers, as they recognise many of the books represented in the illustrations. Sometimes it is only a title, sometimes opening lines, but readers will have a tingle of recognition as they read the non story lines on the pages.
In rhyming pairs of words, 'Book scary', 'Book rain', for example, the pages reflect the phrase given as children will too, and add their own knowledge of books around that theme. The monkeys are of course on the page proclaiming the book, 100 Jungle Jokes, while the giraffe is of course on a page about 'Book tall'.  Younger children will love this book as it gives them a chance to see how some of the words can be represented and so learn what that word means, as well as extolling the many virtues of books and reading.
Fran Knight