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July 2000

Baby books: *6 months to 12 months*

THIS MONTH'S FAVE RAVE:
Daisy's Babies, by Lisa Kopper
Baby lives in a house with a dog called Daisy, who has three puppies called Morris, Delores, and Little Daisy. 

Anyone who has pets will recognise the potentially tricky situations when Baby tries to impose his will on the animals. Sometimes they go along with him, and when they don't want to, they have their own way of saying so – look for the picture showing baby picking up one of the puppies to introduce it to his teddy, and Daisy the mother dog keeping a watchful eye on proceedings. 

The illustrations, in soft pencil, offer a realistic portrayal of a chunky baby who is becoming confident on his feet, and three dumpy puppies who look pretty similar. The mother dog is just as inquisitive as her puppies, and when she manages to drag Mummy's handbag off the television, they all have a great time exploring the contents – until Mummy turns up. The text is short and appealing, with some nice repetition.

Published by Puffin, £4.99

HONOURABLE MENTION:
Find my cake! by Debbie Mackinnon, photographs by Anthea Sieveking
Here's a perfect book for children approaching their first birthday, with a good multi-cultural mix of photographed children. Tabs are used to put across a hide-and-seek story about Cathy and her first birthday party. At the beginning, Cathy canıt find her cake, so the reader helps her look for it. The large-size, sturdy flaps, suitable for baby to grab hold of, feature a medley of multi-coloured balloons, a big envelope, a colourfully-wrapped box, and a door. Behind the door is Cathy sitting in her highchair, and on the tray in front of her a cake, with one blue-and-white striped candle.

Mum of a one- year-old comments: "My son likes finding the surprises behind the flaps – moving them himself. I think he's beginning to anticipate what's there."

This book is part of the My First Lift-the Flap Book series. Other titles in the series include Find my boots!, Find Kitty!, Find Monkey!, Find my spade!, Find my puppy!, Find my train! and Find my duck!

Published by Frances Lincoln, £3.99

For more books in this age range see our baby books archive.

Also see this month’s books for babies:

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