Thumbuddy Special

Thumbuddy Special, written by Mark Arens and illustrated by Kelly Frankenberg, is a board book, the second in the “Thumbuddy” series, which includes both books and CDs.

Thumbuddy Special takes the reader through the first four years of Thumbuddy’s life. Each event (such as the first word or the first step) and each year (the first four birthdays) is celebrated as being special. The text begins, “When Mommy and Daddy held Thumbuddy for the first time, they gazed into Thumbuddy’s eyes, and pondered the miracle before them.” And after each event is chronicled, the text becomes personal for the reader, as the next page reads, “You, too, are a miracle! Just like Thumbuddy.”

The “Thumbuddy” series stresses the idea that everybody is “thumbuddy” as each of us have an unique thumbprint, making us each special.

The illustrations are delightful and cartoon-like, depicting “thumb”-people with adorable expressions on their faces. You can’t help but be charmed by them.

What I Like: I like the idea of a series of books (and CDs) about “thumb”-people. I’ve seen activities where you can create your own faces using thumb and finger prints, but this is the only series of books I know of that makes “people” using thumb prints for the faces.

What I Dislike: My only criticism is the language level of the book. There are too many words on each page and many of the words would be incomprehensible for children in the board book age group. However, this is a book that can be shared many times with your children.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: The publisher doesn’t give an age group, but based on the text, I would say ages 1-4.

Publisher Info: ThumbPeople, 2008; ISBN: 0980160618; Board Book, $8.95.

Buy Now at Amazon.com for $8.95.

Special Info: Please check out our reviews of other Thumbuddy books.