Badboek
Human & Rousseau
Review: Lauren O’Connor-May
These little books are perfect for lockdown because they’re an excellent, durable distraction for a toddler who insists on being your co-worker while you’re working from home.
The books are available in two versions, one with a flamingo on the cover and one with a ladybird.
The covers also serve as pages with a colourful pic of the animal and its name in English and Afrikaans.
Altogether the books have eight pages with a different animal on each page. It’s made of a soft foam inner, covered in plastic and is designed to withstand toddlerhood, which includes submersion in water.
My 14-month-old was immediately intrigued by the pretty books and decided to taste and then bite them.
After several attempts, she eventually penetrated the plastic. She then proceeded to read the book in Klingon, diligently paging, until she found the duck or “guck”, as it is apparently called in Klingon.
She didn’t lose interest in the books and became somewhat possessive over them when her sisters tried to take them, both of which are good signs.
I like books like these because they’re more durable than the board books that are also designed for babies.
They’re great for babies to practise the fine-motor-skill of paging on because the “pages” are softer than in board books and have an edge that is easier to grip.
