Big Steps Books
Book Reviews,  Kids books

Are your little ones taking some Big Steps soon?

As a parent, the ‘firsts’ and ‘lasts’ never seem to end. This year Adam will have his last day at his current play school… a school we have loved for him and Joshua before him. Thinking about it makes me teary! With that ending, is the start of pre-school next year. Officially entering into a structured day, with reports and worksheets and and and…. Again…teary! These moments can be so daunting for our kids, though I think in the end, it is more daunting for us! That aside though, I am trying to prepare Adam for some of what is to come. I’m hoping with help from the Big Steps series of books, it’ll make the transition easier!

There’s a Big Steps book for every situation!

The Big Steps series is designed to help little ones (and their parents or carers) with new everyday experiences. With delightful illustrations from Marion Cocklico, these books are perfect for sharing and reassuring little people, that everything is going to be okay!

 

I’m starting nursery

In I’m Starting Nursery, Ben is sad after Daddy drops him at nursery for the first time. But not for long… he soon makes friends and finds lots of things to do and in no time at all, Daddy is back! In this fun-filled novelty book with flaps and mechanisms watch Ben and his friends play with trucks, paint pictures, dress up and listen to a story.

Our thoughts

Adam, as you all know, is a book hoarder lover like his mom! So a book arrives and he is all in. When we received this book, he made himself comfortable and we dug in. Seeing as he is in a play school now, I made sure to tell the story using his current teacher’s name and pretended he is Ben in the story, and named all the kids after his friends at school. Once we get to the start of Gr. 00 next year, we’ll be changing the teacher’s name to his new teacher, so he knows….nothing has changed – don’t worry, we’re coming back for you. We are not just leaving you in this new school forever! I’m probably going to need a sedative, as I always do. If you recall, I did stake out Joshua’s first day of Gr. 1 last year, taking a day’s leave and plowing through a box of tissues with all my tears.

My emotional well-being aside, this book is so lovely, the colours are bright, the illustrations are child-friendly. The kids and characters used are diverse, which I quite like. Adam loves the interactive parts of the book and I really think this is going to aid us in the transition to ‘almost big school’ in January.

We’re going to the Dentist!

In We’re Going to the Dentist, Nancy and Teddy go for a dental check-up. This novelty book with a sweet story has fun flaps to lift and mechanisms to move, as well as practical tips for parents and carers on each page, endorsed by leading Early Years Consultant, Dr. Amanda Gummer.

Our thoughts

As I said above, there are quite a few books in the Big Steps series, and this one was a NEED! Earlier this year, I booked all the kids for a dental checkup. A quick checkup, clean and polish…simple right? Apparently not! We let the older siblings go first, but Adam was not having any of it! He refused to even sit in the dentist’s chair……thankfully they didn’t charge us for the appointment. So when I saw this book, I was (and remain hopeful) that it will help us when we attempt a checkup again for my little man in December.

Again, such a practical illustration of what the kids can expect. There are little flaps and the moving mechanisms that make it fun for Adam to learn about what to expect. Now we also have the advantage of referring back to the visit that ditched, and showing him that: Hey look at this cute book! Your dental checkup is going to be as fun as this book 😉

There are so many titles in the Big Steps series, We’re Having A BabyI’m Not SleepyNo More NappiesI’m Starting NurseryCan You Say Please?, We’re Going to the Doctor and I Can Get Dressed. The Big Steps books retail for around R120 each and are available at all leading book retailers.

What are some of the ‘big steps’ coming up in your kid’s life in the future? 

Disclaimer: These books were sent to me by Pan Macmillan SA in exchange for a honest review.

Big Steps Books

 

 

I’m Simone, a mom of 3, a wife...obsessed with my family, makeup and books!

2 Comments

  • Lungi

    The idea behind these books is wonderful. I’ll look into getting some for my daughter, we have a lot of firsts coming up in her life.
    I’m also happy that they have multi-racial characters 🙂

    • Simone

      Always important to see representation in books! I was so excited to receive a book with a Muslim family as the centre of the book recently!

      This is a great series, your daughter will love it 🙂

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