One hundred animals, one oversized book, and a toddler who suddenly has words for all of them. At 9 x 9 inches this is the big one on the shelf, painted in the same soft watercolor as the rest of Tabitha Paige's library and organised the way children actually learn: forest, ocean, safari, farm, pets, bugs and more, each group on its own spread.

Paige is a certified speech-language pathologist, and it shows in the word choices. These are functional, high-frequency words a child can really use, not obscure zoo trivia. Turn to the back and there is a seek and find activity, which is where the book stops being a read-aloud and becomes a game you get asked for again.

Board pages, square format, and art restrained enough that grown-ups leave it out on purpose.