Welcome To My House. A Collection of First Words by Gaia Stella

(Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.)
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So many first-word books group objects into standard, predictable categories and list the same simple objects. The brilliance of Welcome To My House by Gaia Stella, lies in the unique, and sometimes cute or comical, categorization of items, as well as the types of items included. For example, “everything for tinkering” includes items such as a toolbox, sewing machine, and painting easel. And “everything that gets lost” includes items such as crackers, the cat, and keys.
Younger children will enjoy naming objects they know, while older children will enjoy the way objects are classified as well as some of the more unique and obscure items listed. “Rotten apple” was my favorite!
Not to mention, a cute cat travels through the pages with us!

Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli & Mariachiara Di Giorgio

(Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.)
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Professional Crocodile by Zoboli and Di Giorgio is an absolute delight. The crocodile starts out getting ready for what appears to be a typical day at the office. But his final destination is far from a traditional business setting. A wonderful ending awaits!

Readers will be eager to turn the pages to see what happens next in the crocodile’s day and thanks to a clear story sequence, will easily be able to follow the plot. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful and small details will capture the imagination and hold attention.

My early-reader loved this story; the wordless element gave her the confidence to tell a story to match the illustrations, without any concern about struggling to read difficult words. My pre-reader loved the wordless aspect too as it gave him the confidence to read like a ‘big kid.’