Most of this set runs on rhyme and song, which is why it's the perfect collection for younger children. Rhyme and repetition are how children start hearing the separate sounds inside words, and is an essential part of early literacy and development.

This set features some retold versions of classics, as well as Australian titles such as Frané Lessac's Australia Under the Sea 1 2 3 and Australian Baby Animals, and Helping Little Star by Sally Morgan and Blaze Kwaymullina, in which Little Star falls off the edge of the night sky and Python, Dingo and Kangaroo work out how to get him home.

The nursery rhymes and There Were Ten in the Bed work with babies and toddlers; Helping Little Star and You Can't Pat a Fish can transition in to the preschool room.

What's in the set

• Hey Diddle Diddle — Judy Horacek's version of the nursery rhyme
• Hickory Dickory Dock — the same treatment for the mouse and the clock
• There Were Ten in the Bed — the counting song, illustrated by Carla Martell, with ten rolling out one at a time
• Sleepy Sheepy — Lucy Ruth Cummins and Pete Oswald, on a lamb with no intention of going to sleep
• You Can't Pat a Fish — Ruth Paul, a rhyming argument about which pets you can actually cuddle
• Zoo Train — Sally Sutton and Daron Parton, a rhyming ride to the zoo
• Hatch and Match — Ruth Paul, a springtime seek-and-find
• Australia Under the Sea 1 2 3 — Frané Lessac, counting to ten through Australian sea creatures
• Australian Baby Animals — Frané Lessac, on the young of Australian animals
• Helping Little Star — Sally Morgan and Blaze Kwaymullina, a fallen star and the animals who get him home

Ten paperbacks, all published by Walker Books Australia. Aligned to EYLF Outcome 5: children are effective communicators. For children aged 1 to 4.

Ten books for $33. The same ten titles bought individually are $170. That's $3.30 a book.

Frequently asked questions about the Sing, Count and Rhyme collection

What books are in the collection?

Ten titles: Hey Diddle Diddle, Hickory Dickory Dock, There Were Ten in the Bed, Sleepy Sheepy, You Can't Pat a Fish, Zoo Train, Hatch and Match, Australia Under the Sea 1 2 3, Australian Baby Animals and Helping Little Star.

What age is this collection for?

Children aged 1 to 4. The nursery rhymes and counting songs suit babies and toddlers, and several titles — Helping Little Star, You Can't Pat a Fish, Australia Under the Sea 1 2 3 — carry through to the preschool room. It's a set built for a whole service rather than one age group.

Why do rhyme and song matter for early literacy?

Before a child can read a word they have to hear that words are made of smaller sounds. Rhyme, repetition and song are the easiest way in — a child who can finish the line of a rhyme is already hearing those sounds. Educators know this as phonological awareness, and it's one of the strongest predictors of how reading goes later on.

What does it support?

Early literacy and EYLF Outcome 5 (children are effective communicators), through rhyme, repetition and song. The Australian titles also touch Outcome 2 (children are connected with and contribute to their world).

Are the books Australian?

All ten are published by Walker Books Australia. Frané Lessac's two titles are about Australian sea creatures and Australian animals, Judy Horacek and Sally Sutton are well known in Australian and New Zealand early childhood settings, and Helping Little Star is by First Nations authors.

Is there a First Nations title in the set?

Yes. Helping Little Star is written by Sally Morgan and Blaze Kwaymullina, and illustrated by Sally Morgan. Little Star falls off the edge of Night Sky and Python, Dingo and Kangaroo work together to get him home.

Do these work as gifts?

Yes, and it's one of the main reasons services buy them. Because the set is affordable, every child can be given their own book, which suits graduation and end-of-year gifting, Book Week, and services running a book a month. The rhyme and song titles are also a good fit for families because the books carry the reading aloud.

How much per book?

The set is $33 for ten books, which works out to $3.30 a book. Bought individually the ten titles come to $170.