My Big Barefoot Book of Wonderful Words

A simple concept but a hugely satisfying wealth of material is offered up in this vibrant catalogue of words and pictures. The reader is first introduced to a diverse cast of characters before joining them in a jubilant celebration of a busy family’s daily life, covering everything from getting dressed and making breakfast to visiting the library, going to the market and bus ride through the countryside – before it’s finally time to get ready for bed.

Over 20 double-page spreads in turn each offers an abundance of bold, colourful and highly accessible images, all neatly labelled with the appropriate words. However, the book doesn’t stop at the obvious or the domestic. So you can discuss the weather and talk about your favourite pets, alongside spotting tornadoes and temples, rockets and rickshaws, mermaids and mosques. One particularly inspired spread promotes the discussion of feelings, encouraging children to identify emotions based on the expressions on a series of little faces. Another fires the imagination, asking young readers to think about the story book characters they would most like to meet.

Meanwhile the backdrop is diverse and inclusive in every sense.  In terms of disability, for example, we can see accessible ramps, tactile paving, hearing loops and characters wearing glasses and using crutches or wheelchairs get about town and forge careers.  However, it’s all perfectly natural and unforced.

A veritable goldmine of material to discuss, clues to find and pleasing details to spot, delivered in a thoroughly inclusive package.