First Words: Early Learning at the Museum

The latest entry in a series of board books drawing on the visual treasures of the British Museum pairs word and image to introduce youngest readers to the richness of the world’s material culture. Crisp photos capture the textural differences of a variety of objects spanning many eras and places—everything from a tin toy bus made in Sri Lanka circa 1980, to an Egyptian ball dated 30 BCE–641 CE, to Julian Opie’s 21st-century print of fir trees. Every object is presented with appealing simplicity and described with a single noun in large, clear typography (bus, ball, trees). A visual index on the last spread pairs each image with its creator, place of origin, and date, expanding the book’s usefulness throughout the toddler years by gently pointing toward opportunities for further learning. Available simultaneously: Animals: Early Learning at the Museum. Ages up to 3. [em](May) [/em]