Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: One by Ruth Forman, illustrated by Katura Gaines

 Sometimes finding a good book is a happy accident! When I was looking at possible board book titles for review, I passed over this one - it looks pretty, but in my experience these types of social-emotional/self-esteem books do not make developmentally appropriate board books and I requested a different title instead. However, this was sent to me by accident - and it turned out to be a great book, that I might never have discovered otherwise!

One is the girl on the cover, in a blue sports shirt with the letter one, having her hair brushed back into a high puff. Her brown skin glows against a yellow background. On the next page, she sits on sun-warmed yellow steps and raises her hand in greeting to... two. Two is a girl with two puffs, grinning in a gap-toothed smile against a pink background. One by one, new girls join the group. Their hair is in a variety of fun styles from cornrows to braids, their skin colors range from dark brown to light tan, and their body types are as varied as their hair styles. They all wear the same blue uniform, but one has a skirt over leggings, some wear shorts, some loose pants. They play jump rope and hang out and chat until the full ten of the soccer team is there and ready for a class picture. The text ends with "but we know we are one!" and the final spread is the photograph of the girls with a jump rope and soccer ball off the side.

I don't think infants or toddlers will grasp the idea of teams or friendship solidarity, but they can certainly get the idea of of counting. They will also appreciate the exuberant pictures that glow with positivity and pride as the girls greet their friends and play together and it's a great opportunity to introduce all ages to different Black hairstyles.

Verdict: I'm glad I saw this one and can now add it to my library's collection - I recommend it for all board book collections.

ISBN: 9781665939362; Published August 2023 by Little Simon; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library