Why real photographs, not cartoons
Most baby books are full of bright cartoons: smiling animals, fruit with faces, cars with eyes. They are fun, but they are not how a baby first meets the world. Our books use real photographs, one clear thing on each page. Here is why.
Babies are learning what the world is like
A baby's first job is to understand the real things around them: a cup, a dog, a spoon, their grandmother's face. Montessori education starts from this idea. In the early years it favours real, recognisable objects over fantasy, so that what a child sees in a book matches what they find in their home and outside.
What research suggests
Studies of how toddlers learn from picture books have found that the more a picture looks like the real thing, the more easily young children connect it to the real world. In one study by Gabrielle Simcock and Judy DeLoache (2006), toddlers were shown a book about putting together a simple toy. Children who saw photographs copied the steps better than those who saw drawings, and the youngest children learned only from the photographs. It is one reason we chose photographs for a child's very first words.
One clear thing on each page
A busy page asks a baby to work out what you are pointing at. A single object on a calm background makes it obvious. One picture, one word: in the home language, in English, and with a line showing how to say it.
Everyday things a child really meets
Our first 50 words are the things of a small child's day: family, their body, animals, food and drink, home and toys, the sun, sea and sky, and going out. Each group has its own colour along the edge of the page, so little hands can find their favourite sections.
Calm, on purpose
Cream pages, plenty of space and no noise. A first book should feel like a quiet moment shared between a child and a grown-up who loves them.
Further reading
- Toddlers find photos easier to learn from than drawings, British Psychological Society Research Digest
Want to see how our books work at home? Download a few free pages in your family's language, print them or flick through on your phone.