Isn’t it great when you discover a series of books you’d not seen before?! I don’t know how it took me so long to discover these beauties, but at least I’ve found them now.

This clever little series of picture books from @Ivy_kids , called ‘shine-a-light’ books, invites the reader to engage with the pages in a new, exciting way. Now I’m sure many a young bookish type has taken a torch under the covers to have a secret read after bedtime, but these books invite you to discover secrets by torchlight. As you shine the torch through the pages, extra illustrations are revealed! We found an iPhone torch was perfect for the job of lighting up the images.

Magical! They are perfect for sparking up some bookish excitement. My own 5 year old bookworm was so excited when we first had a go. On first ‘read’, she rattled from page to page wanting to discover the hidden extras. Now, she is a total bookworm, but I haven’t seen her so eager to turn pages before – completely captivated! After the first speedy journey through the pages, she then wanted to ponder and pore over each page, having me read all the information, taking it in on another level. A lovely reading experience. Since then, we’ve enjoyed them several times and I’m sure we’ll be enjoying them lots more.

Let’s have a closer look:

‘Secrets of the Rainforest’ shares the creatures of the rainforest, as you wander through the branches, vines and ferns.

As you discover a creature, you can turn the page to find out more about it. At the back of each book, you’ll find further details on each creature featured.

Next up is ‘Secrets of Animal Camouflage’. My daughter loves this one, as a budding animal expert. It contains some lovely facts and beautiful images, too.

Or can we interest you in ‘Secrets of the Apple Tree’? This would make a great accompaniment to KS1 science teaching. I just love those wiggly worms!

…and my personal favourite is ‘Secrets of the Seashore’. It just makes me want to get down to the beach and go rockpooling.

These books are great for EYFS and KS1. They also contain some lovely examples of grammar (nerd+ alert!):

• noun phrases;
• interesting verbs;
• questions;
• hyphens;
• apostrophes.

There are other titles in the series too. I hope you enjoy them as much as us!

by @Mrs _iPad_W your Resident Reading Rocker