Big Fish Little Fish
Big Fish Little Fish, by Ed Heck
(Penguin, $16.95)
This sturdy board book with a padded cover eally caught my 21-month-old's fancy. The quirky illustrations had her saying, "Fa, fa!" over and over as she pointed to the "fa" (fish) on each page. It's a simple story about a big fish and a little fish that teaches opposites -- big and little, in front and behind, above and below, and so on. Using the repeated imagery of the big and little fish, it really engages youngsters to get involved in the story -- and the surprise ending with a huge open-up flap will definitely set off the giggles. The textured pages also encourage tactile stimulation and the size is brilliant -- big enough to look like a "big kid" book but sturdy and small enough for little hands to turn the pages. A big hit in our house and at this price, it would make an excellent gift as well.
