My Big Book of Everything

This is the third time I am purchasing this book. The first two were so loved and worn that the pages eventually fell out. Now my two year old is interested in naming everything under the sun, and he deserves his own Big Book of Everything. If he wears through this one before my 6 month old is ready for it, I'd buy a fourth.

I've given this book (and its earlier editions) often as a new-baby gift for babies in the US and abroad. I feel that it's a great present for non-native speakers, because of all the words you only learn in your native language!My granddaughter, age 22 months has loved it for about the last year, as have other very young children I know. For a while, she called it "a book" -- that is, the only one she really acknowledged. She's now branched out to other books but still enjoys identifying the photos in this one. She doesn't care if they're obscure, she likes discussing them, and her favorite pages vary over time. Like the other reviewers, I'll soon be buying a new copy as the first one is wearing out. Maybe the publisher should consider a hard-page edition.

My first impression was that this book was overly stocked with pictures. However, on a second look I could see the benefit of grouping items together and putting many items on one page. You can teach many items that relate to other items you will find in your home or in the world as you travel. This is a visual journey for children that includes 800 brilliantly colorful pictures. Even the inside covers are "covered" with pictures. For the young child, you can start with the familiar items around the home like a lamp, a vase, a telephone, bed, toothpaste and highchair. The section on clothes teaches all the basics...then onto the toys. That will most likely be one of the favorite areas in this book. Cooking and baking might encourage more adventure in the kitchen. Maybe using this book to introduce a child to the names of kitchen essentials will get them interested in making something delicious. Other sections include: Food to eat, Fruit, vegetables, In the workshop, Flowers and plants, Weather, and Seasons and times. Then onto: On the farm, In the countryside (love the meadow picture!), Big Animals, Small animals, Baby animals, Birds. The theme changes constantly and next you will see hot-air balloons and everything that flies in the sky. Children who live in the city will love: In the sea, At the seaside, Noises, Animal noises (you have to love the mouse on this page!). Children in the country will love: In the city, Buildings, Building machines, Shopping (yummy markets and bookstores). In the jobs people do, children are dressed up in each of the main job descriptions. "Me and My Body" is a section to explain the names of the mouth, back, eyelashes, teeth..etc. Things we do such as crying, touching, eating, throwing a ball, hiding, laughing are all pictured with the word of the activity. Shapes and patters lists the main shapes at the top of the page and then you can find the patterns and shapes in what you see in the pictures. For instance, the red square looks like the windows and the star looks like the starfish. The counting section is especially tasty with all sorts of candies to count. Then, the next page opens and you see hills, deserts, a waterfall, a river, a volcano and much more. Each word has a picture and each picture is a delightful look at the world around us. To easily find a word your child is learning...just use the handy index to look up words like store, toothbrush, jaguar, cyclist or even beach. ~The Rebecca Review

I neglected to mention that we own two copies of this book. My daughter's is so worn with use and has enough pages torn by her toddler hands that we purchased a second one for my son. Also, I agree with the reviewer who described using the book by focusing on the familiar and temporarily skipping over other topics. We did/do this as well. Eventually, however, our children have come to enjoy the entire book, and have definitely learned from it.

My 2 1/2 year loved this book so much that it is worn with use. I am getting ready to buy a new one because it's taken such a beating and I want my infant to enjoy it as well. Plus my son is still very interested in it. Here's what the review above misses - you can skip the pictures of igloos and city scenes and focus on the familiar. We started by just discussing a few objects on each page and introduced more as he was interested. Who says you have to read it word by word?