Hello, friends! Our book today is Share This Book, written by Dr. John Hutton and illustrated by Christina Brown, a book for both parents and toddlers about the joys and importance of reading together.

Using vignettes of a diverse cast of families, the light story uses simple rhymes to lay out the basics of the”SHARE STEP” method of reading with very young children. First, it shows a family cuddled together for storytime (S = “Snuggle”), then a parent allowing their child to handle the book and turn the pages (H = “Hands On!”), etc. A short blurb about the method including acrostics of the fundamentals are featured on the back cover.

As you might imagine, we definitely liked this! We’re huge advocates for literacy and shared reading, so a book that can not only entertain very little ones while helping their parents find ways to help them learn and grow through books speaks to us! And it accomplishes its goal very well: the rhymes are mostly simple, easily read-aloud, and have a warm and soothing tone. The illustrations use a muted color palette that will be easy on developing eyes, though I wish there had been either more contrast for the very youngest bookworms or more color to engage toddlers. Still, the characters are adorable, drawn with Disney-like button noses and open, expressive faces. The length is perfect for the very young, and JJ loved all the babies. This is great way to start baby bookworms on the path to literacy, and we really enjoyed it. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)