Britannica’s 150 First Words

Children learn language from their parents and families, and research shows that young children learn most easily when parents and carers use single words and short phrases to narrate and describe what they are doing throughout the day.

With a useful and approachable foreword from Claire Laties Davis, a Speech and Language Therapist, this terrific large board book models early words and short phrases that are great to use with your child from waking to meal times, play time, going to the park, being outside, bath and bed time.

Clear text on each double-page spread gives a list of likely phrases a parent or carer might use with a little one. On the "Wake up!" page, for instance, a clear list of words include:

• Mummy!
• Daddy!
• Up!
• Sun’s up
• Good morning!
• Baby’s awake
• Out you come.

The illustration is perfect – clear, cute and colourful, featuring a range of diverse families. Each double-page spread features one of nine different children, who are introduced at the front of the book in a set of photographs. As babies and toddlers love looking at pictures of themselves and other babies, this is a nice touch that means little ones are even more likely to be interested in looking at the book together.

It’s a well-made book that will stand up to sticky hands, chewing and being dragged around, and the presentation of phrases as well as just words make it a well thought-out book, perfect for the early years.