Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Look & Learn Farm Animals by Catherine D. Hughes

Look & Learn is a series from National Geographic Kids that has been quite popular in our board book section. This particular title features farm animals and, although as an adult some of it makes me snicker a bit, little ones will adore it.

Five farm animals are featured with two spreads each. The first spread has the animal's sound and a photo of the animal on the left and a simple fact and additional photos on the right. This is set against a simple colored background. The second spread for each animal has full-page photos and additional sentences, mostly about what people use the animals for. The animals are horses, chickens, sheep, pigs, and cows. I personally snickered over the fact that the facts for horses, sheep, and cows include how humans use them but pigs and chickens have additional facts about their babies. No bacon and eggs here! A final spread includes all five of the animals with simple questions based on the earlier pages.

The book is a small, sturdy square, about 5x5 inches. I didn't care for the colored backgrounds, feeling that a plain white setting would have been better, especially for young babies, but the photographs were, as always with National Geographic, excellent.

Verdict: A great introduction to nonfiction for babies and toddlers, perfect for a farm storytime. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781426323072; Published 2016 by National Geographic Kids; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library