JOE AND HIS CUDDLE ACTIVITY BOOK

A book with a comforter that lives inside it.

A small soft rabbit lifts off the page and tucks back into a designated spot on every spread. That removing and replacing is the whole game for a one-year-old, and it takes far more fine-motor control than it appears to.

The scenes are deliberately ordinary: Joe the Dragon and the little rabbit going through the familiar moments of a day. Children recognise those situations, map their own feelings onto them and start to talk about them, which is a more useful thing for a book to do at this age than teaching vocabulary.

Roughly 16 x 16 x 3 cm, entirely soft fabric, so it can be chewed, crumpled and slept on. Machine washable at 30 degrees on a gentle cycle.

Lilliputiens is a Belgian brand, founded in 1995 and designed by a team largely made up of parents working alongside early-childhood specialists.

THE COMFORTER COMES OUT OF THE BOOK - A small plush rabbit lifts off the page and tucks back into its own spot on each spread. Removing and replacing it is the activity, and toddlers do it endlessly.

A BOOK ABOUT NEEDING COMFORT - Joe the Dragon and the little rabbit go through ordinary, familiar situations. Because the scenes are recognisable, children map their own feelings onto them, which is how empathy gets practised.

EVERY PAGE HAS A JOB - Each spread has a designated place for the comforter, so the story and the fine-motor task are the same action. Positioning it accurately takes real control.

SOFT FABRIC THROUGHOUT - Approximately 16 x 16 x 3 cm of fabric pages that can be chewed, crumpled, slept on and washed. Machine washable at 30 degrees on a gentle cycle.

DEVELOPS MORE THAN IT LOOKS - Lilliputiens lists sight, hearing, motor skills, insight and imagination for this one. Tested to EN71 and ASTM standards and screened for AZO dyes, cadmium and phthalates.

12 months and above

100% polyester fabric with recycled polyester filling