About the Holiday

In 1966 UNESCO (United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture) established International Literacy Day on this date to “actively mobilize the international community to promote literacy as an instrument to empower individuals, communities, and societies.” This year, the theme is “Promoting literacy in the digital era” and focuses on the way digitization has changed and is changing the way people learn, live, work and socialize—both positively and negatively.

Today’s observance also shines a light on the importance of engaging children in reading from their earliest ages. It is well-documented that children who are read to from birth develop better reading and communication skills, which leads to better across-the-board performance in school and beyond. While reading together, parents, adults, and caregivers and their children also develop strong bonds that last a lifetime. Today’s two books offer young readers the joy and excitement of reading in interactive formats that adults will love sharing with their kids. To learn more about International Literacy Day, visit unesco.org.

Thank you to Twirl Books and Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for send me copies of these books for review!

Animals Everywhere: A Lift, Look, and Find Book

Written by Stéphanie Babin

Illustrated by Sophie Ledesma, Robert Barborini, Marie Caudry, Jessica Das, Marie Kyprianou, and Charlotte Roederer

Take your little ones on an around-the-world tour to six diverse environments in the enchanting Animals Everywhere, a vibrant and fun seek-and-find book that includes flaps for even more surprising discovery. Habitats featured are a rural countryside, a polar region, a forest in autumn, a farm, the rainforest, and a wildlife-welcoming backyard. Each of these habitats are presented with either one or two gatefold pages that open to reveal a panoramic view of beauty and delightful details that invite children to find either 12 or 16 creatures.

Illustration © 2025 by Robert Barborini, text © 2025 Stéphanie Babin

Running along the bottom of each page spread, a banner includes a short, easy-to-understand description of the environment as well as small circles containing images of the creatures to be found and their name. To help the youngest readers, each creature is depicted in the exact way and orientation as in the large picture.

This well-conceived book goes far beyond a simple search-and-find concept. Each spread is loaded with action and interactions, animals, people, vegetation, vehicles, objects, and weather events for kids and adults to talk about, point out, and use to create their own seek-and-find fun. These fully realized landscapes make for exciting and challenging searches that kids can enjoy again and again and that will engage children over a wide age range.

Illustration © 2025 by Charlotte Roederer, text © 2025 Stéphanie Babin. Courtesy of Twirl Books.

Stéphanie Babin’s charming text is enthusiastic and evocative as she welcomes young readers to each habitat and shares a sprinkling of facts just right for little learners. These can lead to discussions about pollinators, camouflage, where we get our food, and even to trips to the backyard or nearby park to search for creatures and plants there.

Each environment is gorgeously illustrated by a different artist, giving the book the feel of walking through an art museum and encountering a stimulating variety of styles. Kids will be transfixed with the bright colors, adorable animals, and all there is to see and do.

Sure to quickly become any young child’s story time favorite, Animals Everywhere: A Lift, Look, and Find Book is a must for home bookshelves and library collections. The book would also make a much-appreciated gift.

Ages 2 – 4+

Twirl, 2025 | ISBN 979-1036381454

About the Author

Stéphanie Babin is an author of books for young children, particularly nonfiction and interactive titles. She lives in Paris, France.

You can purchase Animals Everywhere: A Lift, Look, and Find Book from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

My Animal Sounds (Baby Basics™)

By Xavier Deneux

Babies love books! Babies love animals! How can you combine these two favorites in one fun activity? With the interactive board book My Animal Sounds! Created for the youngest learners, My Animal Sounds combines high-contrast illustrations of ten adorable animals with sound chips that bring the pages to life. High-contrast books engage babies from birth and as their vision develops during their first year by featuring bold, black-and-white images that are easier for them to focus on and see clearly.

Text and Illustration © 2025 by Xavier Deneux. Courtesy of Twirl Books.

Spots of color add cheery notes to each of Xavier Deneux’s charming scenes, as a curious cat roams a rooftop, a bird stops by on an early spring day, a rabbit uncovers a carrot, and a sheep and dog meet on a twilit evening, among other sweet images. And who can resist the endearing giggles that will bubble up from hearing the frog croak and chirp, the rabbit chitter and crunch, and the pig snuffle and snort. Kids will continue to enjoy this book well into toddlerhood as well.

Text and Illustration © 2025 by Xavier Deneux. Courtesy of Twirl Books.

Cuddling with your baby or toddler and My Animal Sounds will become a favorite way to spend quality time together. The book makes a perfect take-along for parents, grandparents, and caregivers, a smart choice for any daycare setting, and a fun addition to a babysitter’s or nanny’s pack. The book would also be terrific new-baby gift.

Ages Baby – 3

Twirl, 2025 | ISBN 979-1036382086

About the Author/Illustrator

Xavier Deneux‘s chic, bold style and insightful grasp of what makes younger children think, connect, and smile has resulted in more than 100 critically lauded books. After graduating from ESAG (École Supérieure d’art graphique) Penninghen, he worked in advertising before becoming a full-time children’s book illustrator. He is the creator of the TouchThinkLearn series. He lives in Paris, France.

You can purchase My Animal Sounds (Baby Basics™) from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

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