Book of the Week (44): "Toddle Waddle" by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Nick Sharratt

Toddle waddle.
(A toddler and a duck go for a walk.)

Flip flop, toddle waddle.
(Mum walks behind.)

Hurry scurry, flip flop, toddle waddle.
(Dog follows.)

Eventually a whole procession is making its way through the park, each in its own manner. But where are they going? To the seaside! And there everyone and everything is making fantastic noises. Splish splash (paddling in the sea), chitter chatter (girl on mobile), puff puff (steam train), bash crash (drummer in the band).

Julia Donaldson, in her inimitable way, has done wondrous things with the bare minimum of words. Her text forms an atmospheric sound track to Nick Sharratt's pictures, which tell the reader what is actually going on in the story.

It can't be a coincidence that Nick lives in Brighton. The noisy group end up in a playground by the sea, then on a little train chuffing along the seafront, then finally on a pier where they boogy along to a band, the duck taking a starring role by playing the tambourine while perched upon the drummer's head!

It's brilliant.

Recommended by Susan Reuben

Next?

• Try some of Julia and Nick's other collaborations: Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose, Hippo Has a Hat or One Mole Digging a Hole.
• Nick Sharratt's novelty books are fantastic. Muddlewitch is a favourite with my children.
• Or how about You Choose by Pippa Goodhart, which Nick illustrated? Every spread is crammed with pictures, each on a different theme - food, transport, animals and so on. Babies love it, and because you can talk about the pictures in any way you want, it grows with your child.