Wimmelbook My First 100 Words from Timberdoodle is a beautiful board book-style book by Max Walther. Each page layout features a different full-color scene, and the right-hand margin has a series of words and matching pictures from the scene.

What is Wimmelbook My First 100 Words?

For example, the first page features a family in their kitchen having breakfast.

The side column features words such as:

• Frying pan
• Mug
• Grapes
• Cucumber
• Jam
• Eggs
• Coffee maker
• Toaster
• Etc.

Other scenes include a day care or preschool environment, a transportation scene, a pool, a playground, a zoo, and a bedroom, which gives you a wide variety of words and pictures.

The only words in the book are the ones that are in the margin naming the different items. This opens up many ways to use the book.

 You can use it to practice visual identification by trying to find the objects named in the margin in the illustrations. You can ask your children to tell you a story about what they see, or you can make up stories to tell them and work in some of the new “vocabulary” words from the margin.

How Did We Use the Book?

I primarily wanted to try this book with my two-year-old son. He has a significant speech delay and uses a combination of verbal words, sign language, and an AAC device to communicate. At home and with his speech therapist, we work to expand his vocabulary to help him communicate with us and others, so I am always looking for new resources.

This book was great because it gave me fun pictures and vocabulary to work with, and it was not overwhelming. While he is not yet ready to make up stories about the pictures, he could enjoy me telling him stories as I pointed out different elements.

We could also use it to practice new words on his AAC device. I could show him a picture in the margin and have him find it and press it on his AAC device.

While I hadn’t intended to use it with my eight-year-old, I found it was a great resource to use with him as we work on creative writing. I could give him one of the scenes and ask him to write about what was happening while using at least a certain number of the words from the margin.

Overall Thoughts

This book is a great educational tool for a variety of ages. While it primarily focuses on young children in the toddler-to-preschool range, it also applies to elementary-aged students.

The board-book construction makes it sturdy and helps it withstand toddlers’ rough handling.  The illustrations are bright and engaging.

While you cannot “read” this book in the traditional sense, it helps develop visual skills, vocabulary, and verbal skills.

Learn more and order your copy of My First 100 Words at Timberdoodle.