I love Shirley Hughes for her artwork and the relatability of her characters. In these board books she introduces colours, sounds, words, and numbers in her gentle, inimitable way - no brash tones and obvious connections here! She picks up the colours in nature; the reds of autumn leaves and fluffy white clouds floating by, and homely observations; yellow is 'syrup dripping from a spoon' and red is 'rosy apples, bright cherries, scarlet leaves, bright red berries', orange, 'marmalade toast and a marmalade cat'. In 'Noisy', she encourages children to notice purring cats and the crunch of dry leaves, falling rain, 'splashing, sploshing' and the everyday sound of the vacuum cleaner, 'vroom-vroom-vrooming'. The lovely rhythm and rhymes of her books, along with the stunning artwork minutely observing family life, both at home and outdoors, make them such a joy to read as an adult, and a rich experience for a listening child.