Books to help your child cover the basics before they start school.
Find more resources on preparing for school, including recommended books and a loanable school pack.
Animal Opposites
This series features high-contrast board books bursting with vibrant neon colours, carefully crafted to capture a baby’s attention and encourage early cognitive development.
From the very first page, each bold image and simple shape is designed to spark curiosity, support visual tracking, making them the perfect first books to ignite curiosity from day one.
My Very First Opposites with The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle
Introduce the concept of opposites with the Very Hungry Caterpillar in this playful lift-the-flap early learning series!
Each page of this chunky board book has been thoughtfully designed with a peep-through flap to encourage little ones to join in and identify their opposites.
Borrow My Very First Opposites with The Very Hungry Caterpillar →
Big, Little
Didier Cornille
A small click, a big bang. A sleek limo, a compact car. Contrasts at every turn! This tiny, vibrant red book, with its minimalist design, surprises at every page with a playful mix of opposites.
In ‘Big, Little’, Didier Cornille transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, making empty spaces feel full, vertical shapes horizontal and round objects square.
Plus, discover a few hidden fold-out pages that add an extra element of surprise.
Upside Down Opposites
Danielle McLean
Go from happy to sad and high to low, all with the flip of a book!
This clever board book of transformations allows little ones to read it, flip it and watch the upside-down picture change into its opposite.
Perfect to introduce little ones to first words and opposites, no matter which way they’d like to hold the book!
I Am Big, I Am Small
Vicky Woodgate
Meet a GIANT squid, and a teeny tiny seahorse. Did you know that a cheetah can run faster than a sports car, but a slow loris’s top speed is 1 mile per hour?
Have you heard about the binturong bearcat who smells like hot buttery popcorn, a lot nicer than the anteater who sends out VERY stinky smells when they get scared!
This hilarious and colourful picture book will entertain readers as they learn incredible and lesser-known facts about animal opposites in the wild.
Little Fish’s Opposites
Lucy Cousins
Hello, I am Little Fish, swimming in the sea. Today I’m learning opposites, come along with me! Explore opposite word pairs with Little Fish in this fun, interactive board book with a lively rhyming text that begs to be read aloud.
From the old sea turtle to the young seahorses and from the big blue whale to small Little Fish himself, babies and toddlers will love learning about opposites in the underwater world of Little Fish.
The Opposites Badge
Rebecca Gerlings and Julia Kent
Norrie is admiring a beautiful butterfly in the garden and when Roly joins her, she tells him he needs to be very quiet. Roly does the opposite and SHOUTS VERY LOUDLY.
The Squirrels want to learn all about opposites, so Duggee shares lots of fun examples. Open and closed, young and old, big and small, and many more! Join them and earn your Opposites Badge!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Snacks: An Opposites Book
Eric Carle
Join the very hungry caterpillar as he eats his way through many different snack foods and learns all about opposites.
This bright and bold board book with die-cut holes is perfect for all toddlers discovering the joy of food.
The Hueys: What’s the Opposite?
Oliver Jeffers
The Hueys explore the concept of opposites in their characteristically quirky way.
Starting out with some easy ones like ‘up’ and ‘down’, they move on to ever more wildy imaginative examples, guaranteed to raise a smile!
Maisy Big, Maisy Small
Lucy Cousins
Readers both BIG and small will love exploring rhyming word pairs with Maisy, including hot, cold, young, old, stripes, spots, one, lots, and many, many more!
This revised edition of Lucy Cousins’ classic early-learning book is bursting with bright colours, irresistible rhymes and hilarious moments. In large hardback with rounded corners, it’s the perfect introduction to opposite words and a guaranteed read-aloud favourite.
Roald Dahl’s Opposites
Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake
Day and night, big and small, hungry and full – learn your opposites with the Enormous Crocodile!
With lots of flaps for busy little hands, this sturdy board book is the perfect introduction to the world of Roald Dahl.
Opposites
Nick Butterworth
Join Percy the park keeper and learn all about opposites!
With simple text and beautiful illustrations, this fun concept book is perfect for the youngest of Percy fans.
Big Gorilla: A Book of Opposites
Anthony Browne
Featuring a range of exquisite primates, from gorillas to chimpanzees, white-faced capuchins to orangutans, Anthony Browne has created a wonderfully unique first book of opposites, with his striking palette and quirky flair for facial expressions sure to charm readers of all ages.
Funny Bunnies Up and Down
David Melling
A wonderfully funny introduction to opposites for the very young and great to read aloud. Follow these hilarious pogo-stick loving bunnies through their crazy day.
These bunnies go up and these bunnies go down. Sometimes they’re funny and sometimes they frown!
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