The B on Your Thumb

‘This is the sort of picture book that will bear up under repeated childhood readings and may even be of use to adults.’

—The Wall Street Journal

"The B on your Thumb is clever, engaging, educational and fun. I wish I had thought of it."
—Craig Smith, author / songwriter of The Wonky Donkey

The B on Your Thumb is a book of 60 hilariously illustrated rhymes and delightful ditties to boost early reading—each poem teaches a specific sound, spelling, or rule. Using rhythm and wordplay, they promote phonics awareness, thinking skills, and literacy. But most of all, this book delights young readers with the fun and silliness of the English language.

This is a book where words like to play,
where letters get cross when they don’t get their way.
There are sounds to make and jokes to uncover.
An owl in your bowl, for you to discover.
Meet the K on your knee, who’s ready for fun,
and don’t be alarmed by the B on your thumb!

An introduction instructs grown-ups how to use the book and extensive activities at the end allow children to build on their learning. Grouped into four categories—sounds, silent letters and secrets, spellings, and words that sound the same—the poems include:

• See with Two Ees
• The Story of Q and U
• The Rain in the Train
• Ridiculous Ph
• Enough of Uff
• Certainly a C
• The Most ImportANT
• Which Witch

Learning to read has never been so much fun!The B on Your Thumb is a must for every young family’s bookshelf.

Colette Hiller is a writer, arts producer and author of the critically acclaimed poetry book The B on Your Thumb. Her children’s rhymes have been featured on BBC Words and Pictures and her children’s album, Applehead, has been a hit with kids across the world, selling over 50,000 copies. An advocate of early learning, Colette believes that even very young children are receptive to the joy of wordplay. She taught her own twins to read by the time they were three.

Tor Freeman is a London-based illustrator. In 2012 she was awarded the Sendak Fellowship. In 2017 she won the Guardian Graphic Short Story Prize. Her books include the Digby Dog and Olive series.