You might have guessed that this is not really a children's book, though I'm sure babies would enjoy the bright colors and fun images. Well read adults will enjoy chuckling at all the references to books they've read, or books they have on the shelf and are meaning to read . . . You'll see tiny tributes from many beloved books from Moby Dick to Charlotte’s Web. I'm assigning an extra star for the inclusion of Baba Yaga.

Nice to see a different first words book. This is pretty "nerdy", for lack of a better description and wouldn't be for everyone.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I loved this book dedicated to bookworms. Even if I did have to look some words up! That's the joy of loving books and wanting to learn new things-something I think this book will help inspire kids to do.

A lovely installment in the "100 First Words For____" series! I think there are many adult bookworms and library staff who will love to have a copy of this to help their little bookworms grow!

A fun little spin on first words for little ones. This fun book shares with us 100 words that we should be sharing with our Future little bookworms. You have your normal words like library and friendship and then you get the new fun ones like metaphor, hero’s journey and puffed sleeves. So fun and a perfect amount of humor for all book addicts. Its illustrations are as fun and creative as the words.
You will love this perfect book for all bibliophiles. Makes a great gift for book lovers in your world.

I enjoyed that the words span a lot of different subjects from the Gita to the Dune. It's a great opportunity to teach children about a variety of subjects.

This was cute, I read it to my baby and while she didn’t understand (obviously) she was still entertained. She loved pointing out her favorite things on each page

This book is a lot of fun if you're an avid reader. I loved how excited I got when I understood each reference it made and also on the other hand got extremely curious when I didn't know what a word was referencing. This is perfect for inspiring someone to read classics they haven't gotten to yet.

This was a super cute little book my toddler loved looking at and pointed at the different images to find out about them

What a cute book for bookworms to share with a child! I actually loved this for myself and can’t wait to share it with my little one when they get a little older!

The illustrations were lovely, but I think it’s far too advanced for the age range it is aimed at sadly. I didn’t really get the ‘tongue in cheek’ part of it. My children even at their ages now (4 and 6) would struggle with a lot of these words and understandings.

This is an adorable book. My toddler wasn’t quite as engaged as I was expecting given how beautifully illustrated it is!

It would make a great baby gift for the bookworms in your life.

Starting with the positives, I loved the illustrations and thought it was fun trying to pick out the various literary references. Following on from this I liked the bright colours used and thought it made this book very eye catching and engaging to read. However, I'm struggling to see how this is a book aimed at toddlers or children as there were many words and phrases in there that I don't understand or have never come across before. There seems to be a big disconnect between the target audience and the vocabulary used.

Overall I loved the presentation of this book however I can't work out what age group it is aimed at as the vocabulary is quite complex and some of the literary references are quite obscure.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

100 First Words for Little Bookworms is a board book for young children; babies and toddlers featuring 100 words relating to books and things booklovers love about books. The book features many words and picture references to stories such as Romeo and Juliet, Charlotte's Web, etc, but the words featured were way too advanced and would be difficult for many little ones to say and understand. I'd say this is more for the adult or older child in an infant format. I'd have expected the words used to be more age appropriate for little ones.

This book is absolutely adorable and hilarious. I’ll admit there were a few words/references that I didn’t understand, so I’ll be looking those up, this could be cute and fun for a booknerd’s baby, the book nerd themselves, or I think older kids would enjoy it to actually learn from it. I think my & year old would like having it as a visual of some of the words we use when talking about books.

I am always on the hunt for cute books like this for my friends' kids and kids in my family--though most have now aged out of this type of book. I really enjoyed this one, as I have others in this series, though it may have been helpful to have a key or something in the back for the ones that go over even the parents' heads! The illustrations are cute, and I'll have to pick up a copy so I can see it in print form.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This title is categorized as a book for children but also as humor & satire. I put it not exactly in either of these categories. To me, this book is a kind of treasure trove of illustrations that invites readers to identify the literary references. That can be entertaining. Just a few examples: a picture of puffed sleeves, a skull, a serpent and so on.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Familius for this title. All opinions are my own.

‘100 First Words for Little Bookworms’ by Stephanie Campisi is a children's book designed to introduce young readers to a range of words, fostering an early love for reading.

Perspective: ★★☆☆☆

The perspective is decent. It aims to provide a foundational vocabulary for young children, but the execution could be better aligned with the target age group.

Relevance: ★★★☆☆

The concept is definitely relevant, as encouraging children to read from a young age is increasingly important. More and more people are reading these days, and it's excellent to get children hooked from a young age.

Illustrations: ★★★★☆

The illustrations are charming and colourful, which should capture the attention of young readers. They are well-drawn and add visual appeal to the book, making it more engaging.

Engagement: ★★☆☆☆

The book probably could be more engaging for a child, which is confusing given that it's marketed as a children's book. The choice of words and the way they are presented might not hold the interest of young readers.

Readability: ★★☆☆☆

Some of the words are definitely not "first words." This could make the book challenging for its intended audience, as the vocabulary might be too advanced for young children just starting to learn to read.

Enjoyment: ★★☆☆☆

The book may not be the most enjoyable read for children for the same reason as its lack of engagement. The mismatch between the target audience and the vocabulary could make it less appealing to young readers.


‘100 First Words for Little Bookworms’ by Stephanie Campisi has a commendable goal of fostering a love for reading in young children. However, the execution falls short in terms of engagement and readability for its intended audience. While the illustrations are delightful, the choice of words may not align well with what is typically expected for a "first words" book. This could make it less effective in achieving its purpose of introducing young readers to new vocabulary.

This book was absolutely darling. My four little kids absolutely loved this book! The illustrations were beautiful and the images were so cute! Such a fun and engaging childrens book.

This book was really cute and not what I expected. A cute way to show bigger words to young readers and learners. My daughter didn’t understand all of it but she liked the illustrations and learning new words