Wiggles (TouchThinkLearn)
‘Your little fingers wriggle, your little fingers wiggle. Your little fingers just want to dance!’ – what a perfect opening for this hands-on, multi-sensory book for little ones. Wiggles invites children and their grown-ups on a journey of exploration through the sense of touch, using their fingers to follow a series of die-cut dots, lines, spirals and squiggles.
The similarities between this and other interactive titles like Hervé Tullet’s Press Here are evident, but what sets it apart is the narrative. Little fingers don’t just carry out simple instructions laid before them, they embark on a playful adventure – through the rain (pitter patter), over the waves (Whoosh! Swoosh!), and maybe off to bed? Zuccheri-Romer’s language is rhythmic and repetitive – perfect for little ones who are hearing words for the first time, and for grown-ups reading aloud.
Actions and movement are a great way to bring books to life for babies and young children. This may not be the perfect bedtime story, but it’s a great one to have up your sleeve for when little fingers get fidgety. Just beware of the slightly mesmeric effect of the large spirals!
The potential for learning in these simple 26 pages is remarkable. It’s not just a matter of colours and shapes; there’s coordination, language, and control. There is so much going on in Wiggles on so many levels, but the real beauty lies in the fact that most children will be having so much fun, they won’t even realise they’re learning at all.
