じゃあじゃあびりびり

About the book

じゃあじゃあびりびり (roughly 'Splash Splash, Rip Rip') is a baby book written and illustrated by Noriko Matsui, part of Kaiseisha's まついのりこ あかちゃんのほん series. It was first published in 1983, and the current edition, revised as a board book in 2001 according to the National Diet Library, is a 14 × 14 cm square with about 22 pages, easy for small hands to hold.

The story and what makes it special

There is no story. Each spread shows one familiar thing, such as a car, water, a dog or a sheet of paper, alongside the Japanese sound word for it, repeated in a bouncy rhythm. The pictures are bold, flat shapes in clear colours on plain backgrounds. A page at the front lets you write in your child's name.

Recommended age

Publisher states

0歳から

NIPIKO Books suggests

0–2 yrs

Publisher's label: 「0歳から」 (from age 0). NIPIKO Books's suggestion: best from birth to about 2. Under one, babies enjoy the sounds and colours; between one and two, children point, name things and copy the sounds.

Reading-together ideas

• Play with the sound words: loud, soft, fast, slow. Notice which ones make your baby light up.
• After the first birthday, point and ask 'what's this?' in your home language and in Japanese.
• Link the sounds to daily life, for example saying jaa-jaa when you turn on the tap.