The simple rhyming text of this picture book shares experiences which most youngsters will be able to relate to - being old enough to hold a new baby, but still small enough to cuddle on Gran’s knee, or being naughty enough to make paper dolls out of Dad’s newspaper, but nice enough to give them to the baby to play with. Not only can toddlers sometimes be a mass of seeming contradictions, but to them life can seem contradictory, too, with all its rules and expectations.

The text here is simple, with just one line per page and a lot of the work being done by the illustrations, which demonstrate the different qualities of the child protagonist. The artist has used watercolour paints and ink lines to bring the child and his family to life.

This hardcover offering is ideal for bedtime reading. Very cute.

A Little Bit, by Christine and Peter Maniaty, ill by Claire Richards
Omnibus, 2008