Even babies a few month old often love to handle board books. They run their chubby hands along the sturdy pages and turn the books over and over. Those book-ready babies will be enthralled by three board books just published by Silver Dolphin Books. The series is called “Bright Books,” and they are written by Megan Roth and illustrated by Emiri Hayashi.

The books are symphonies of color and texture. For example, “Bubble’s Ocean Friends” is illustrated in various bright shade of blue with a vibrant orange color to really draw the attention of the reader. Bubble, the fish, has a rough-textured body with sparkly blue and light blue stripes. Some of the ocean animals she encounters are bright orange, and the plants and seahorse and crabs that she meets also have streaks of metallic silver that make this a visually stimulating experience. Each page has different textures for baby to feel, numbers so that baby can count with the reader, and simple text.

“Shadow’s Nighttime Adventure” is also visually stimulating. It takes place at night, so all is monochromatic shades of sepia with the same, vibrant orange used for stars, Shadow’s eyes, the moon, and brightly lit apartment windows. Shadow the cat is given a velvety texture on each page, and the rooftops, puddles on the ground, the rain and lightning, and the wings of the bright orange fireflies are all glittery silver. It’s the story of Shadow’s nighttime stroll and how he meets up with his nighttime friends.

“Baby Bear’s Busy Day” is perhaps the least visually striking of the trio of board books. It features the signature bright orange as a contrast, but the other colors are a pale blue and the brown of baby bear’s coat. The silver and orange are used strategically, and the story is cute, but the overall effect just isn’t as striking as the other two books. The bears do have the soft, velvety textured fur.

The set would be a great choice for a new baby or a toddler who enjoys turning the pages.

Please note: This review is based on the final board books provided by the publisher, Silver Dolphin Books, for review purposes.