Numbers and Colours by Orla Kiely

Just as we were heading off on our holiday to Shropshire, the post-lady brought us a huge Jiffy bag full of books from Egmont. These were the perfect thing to keep Daughter amused on our journey across the country.

I thought I'd begin by sharing my personal favourites, Orla Kiely's beautiful books of Numbers and Colours. These are - quite simply - stunning. Bound in fabric, they are packed full of chic, retro illustrations which manage to be classic and contemporary all at once.

For older children learning to count, these will be invaluable. The clear pictures are great for pointing at and invite one-to-one interaction. I found that for babies - the intended audience - they're somewhat too clean. Daughter quickly bored of the elegant lines and returned to the chaotic illustrations of the other titles we'd packed for the trip. And aside from anything else, with an RRP set at £9.99, they are quite expensive for what they are. Yes, they're wonderful to look at and would help to make any nursery bookcase look like something from a show-home, but as anything other than a symbolic gift for a new arrival, they feel rather extravegant.

So yes, from an adult and older child perspective, amazing. As a board book.... slightly less so.