My Book of Colours and Shapes certainly lives up to its title and is a brilliant, colourful read. There are many books aimed to assist and extend children’s learning and this book proved to be a fun read for both my little ladies who are 1 and 3 years old.
The colour and shapes book that we have at home are books that my eldest daughter has received as presents or books that my nieces have out grown. However, it was refreshing to share My Book of Colours and Shapes with my girls as it is far different from the colour and shape books we have.
Centered around different fairy tales this book is inviting, using familiar scenes and characters (or ones to later refer to) as the focal point for discussion. Some of the fairy tales my eldest daughter spotted were The Elves and the Shoe Maker, Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel.
Each page has a colour or shape focus and it is clear to see as the page has a sub heading. There is rhyming text to put the illustrations into context, question prompts, facts shared and labels used through out the book. 
The book is a reminder of how picture books can help towards children’s learning, seeing shapes and colours in different contexts and also encouraging discussion between an adult and child. The questions stated also give adults an idea of the type of questions that could be explored not only using this book but also applying the questions when sharing other picture books too.
The cheery illustrations are a delight to look at and both my girls showed an appreciation for them, pointing at different things and commenting on what they could see. I adore the pages that focus on one colour, how lovely.
I’m sure you can see why both my girls enjoyed this book. It’s a book that explores shapes and colours but is a also a nod to other learning that could be further explored such as animals, colour mixing and rhyming. This would make a great book to share at home or in the classroom.
Miles Kelly, the publisher of the book kindly sent this book to us. Thank you. They are an independent children’s book publisher who publish many picture books and also produce material to support children with their learning. I will be featuring more of their publications here on the blog so do keep a look out.