Here is reality - a household with toys strewn all over the floor, cupboard doors bulging open, a little baby throwing his food around. Here is a family existing on limited means, but making the most of what they have.
Open each new page and follow the day through the eyes of a little baby/young toddler, from the moment he wakes to last thing at night, asking "What does he see?" All the while the little baby is having a wonderful time. Does he mind that his house is in a mess? Does he care that his parents haven't got the latest designer trappings? No! He just seems to be concerned about what his family are up to and the whereabouts of his teddy and his ball!
The historic backdrop of WWII makes this book an interesting read for the older child - and what a great way for grandparents and greatgrandparents who were young themselves during this period of history to share their memories with their grandchildren today. Look at the pages carefully, and you will spot gas masks, men in RAF and army uniforms, a Winston Churchill photo pasted to the parlour wall, a bomb damaged house, a barrage balloon and aeroplanes high in the skies above baby who blissfully unaware sits on a rug chewing his teddy's arm. Most heart wrenching of all, baby's daddy bathing him and then kissing him goodnight, dad dressed in his army uniform ready to leave and to face goodness only knows what. Most children will no doubt miss many of these subtleties (I showed a girlfriend of mine who had been brought up with this book in the home and had never noticed the WWII background!) but every time I read it I can't help thinking of all the families who went through these times with small children, and it has emphasised to me that at any time in history how fleeting and just how precious our time with our children is.
This is an amazing book on many levels. This is now the present I give to all my friends when they have a baby. The larger paperback makes an ideal present for an older toddler, or perhaps an older child with a baby sibling.
