What do you think?
Rate this book
All Fall Down
Helen Oxenbury's delightful board books, featuring her sweet and cuddly babies at play, are back with a whole new look.
10 pages, Board Book
First published September 30, 1987
4 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Helen Oxenbury
343 books105 followersMarried to John Burningham
Born in 1938 and growing up in Ipswich, England, Helen Oxenbury loved nothing more than drawing. As a teenager, she entered art school and basked in the pleasure of drawing, and nothing but drawing, all day. During vacations she helped out at the Ipswich Repertory Theatre workshop, mixing paints for set designers. It was there that she decided her future lay in theater design.
While studying costume design, however, Helen Oxenbury was told by a teacher, "This is hopeless, you know. You ought to go and do illustrations--you're much more interested in the character, and we don't know who's going to play the part!"
But sets and scenery, not books, remained Helen Oxenbury's preoccupation for several more years as she embarked on careers in theater, film, and TV. After marrying John Burningham, another of the world's most eminent children's book illustrators, and giving birth to their first child, at last she turned to illustrating children's books. "When I had babies," Helen Oxenbury says, "I wanted to be home with them and look for something to do there."
Today, Helen Oxenbury is among the most popular and critically acclaimed illustrators of her time. Her numerous books for children include the Greenaway Medal-winning ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and its companion, ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, both by Lewis Carroll; Smarties Book Prize-winning FARMER DUCK by Martin Waddell; SO MUCH by Trish Cooke; as well as her classic board books for babies. More recently, she collaborated with author Phyllis Root on the jubilant, no-nonsense tall tale BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD. "As I read Phyllis's text, I imagined Big Momma as part Buddha, part housewife," she says. "It was intimidating to create a whole world, but very enjoyable."
And what does she love most about her work? Thinking up new ideas? Seeing the finished book? Not at all. For Helen, "The best part is when I think I know what I'm doing and I've completed a few drawings. In fact, when I get about a third of the way through, and I feel I'm on my way, then I'm happy. It's like reading a good book--you don't want it to end."
Helen Oxenbury and her husband make their home in London, where the illustrator works in a nearby studio. She is also an avid tennis player.
Born in 1938 and growing up in Ipswich, England, Helen Oxenbury loved nothing more than drawing. As a teenager, she entered art school and basked in the pleasure of drawing, and nothing but drawing, all day. During vacations she helped out at the Ipswich Repertory Theatre workshop, mixing paints for set designers. It was there that she decided her future lay in theater design.
While studying costume design, however, Helen Oxenbury was told by a teacher, "This is hopeless, you know. You ought to go and do illustrations--you're much more interested in the character, and we don't know who's going to play the part!"
But sets and scenery, not books, remained Helen Oxenbury's preoccupation for several more years as she embarked on careers in theater, film, and TV. After marrying John Burningham, another of the world's most eminent children's book illustrators, and giving birth to their first child, at last she turned to illustrating children's books. "When I had babies," Helen Oxenbury says, "I wanted to be home with them and look for something to do there."
Today, Helen Oxenbury is among the most popular and critically acclaimed illustrators of her time. Her numerous books for children include the Greenaway Medal-winning ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and its companion, ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, both by Lewis Carroll; Smarties Book Prize-winning FARMER DUCK by Martin Waddell; SO MUCH by Trish Cooke; as well as her classic board books for babies. More recently, she collaborated with author Phyllis Root on the jubilant, no-nonsense tall tale BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD. "As I read Phyllis's text, I imagined Big Momma as part Buddha, part housewife," she says. "It was intimidating to create a whole world, but very enjoyable."
And what does she love most about her work? Thinking up new ideas? Seeing the finished book? Not at all. For Helen, "The best part is when I think I know what I'm doing and I've completed a few drawings. In fact, when I get about a third of the way through, and I feel I'm on my way, then I'm happy. It's like reading a good book--you don't want it to end."
Helen Oxenbury and her husband make their home in London, where the illustrator works in a nearby studio. She is also an avid tennis player.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 9, 2008
Board book
For babies-toddlers
A group of diverse babies sings, runs, bounces, and falls down in a short, large format board book.
With a minimum of rhythmic text, the emphasis in this large and colorful board book is on the babies. "Singing all together, running round and round, bouncy, bouncy, on the bed, all fall down," reads the text, and a group of babies follow along. Babies and young children will find appeal in Oxenbury's round-faced, contented babies, and the sense of movement and fun will inspire them to imitate the activities. Larger than most board books, and short but sweet, this is perfectly suited to its audience.
School Library Journal's review has an odd focus on the potential downside of the large format - babies having difficulty manipulating the pages alone - but concludes it would be a good book for parents and babies to share.
For babies-toddlers
A group of diverse babies sings, runs, bounces, and falls down in a short, large format board book.
With a minimum of rhythmic text, the emphasis in this large and colorful board book is on the babies. "Singing all together, running round and round, bouncy, bouncy, on the bed, all fall down," reads the text, and a group of babies follow along. Babies and young children will find appeal in Oxenbury's round-faced, contented babies, and the sense of movement and fun will inspire them to imitate the activities. Larger than most board books, and short but sweet, this is perfectly suited to its audience.
School Library Journal's review has an odd focus on the potential downside of the large format - babies having difficulty manipulating the pages alone - but concludes it would be a good book for parents and babies to share.
September 6, 2011
I have read this TOO MANY times. But I give it as a baby gift because it was one of the first books each of my kids loved. They would act it out, all the way to the end and "all fall down."
April 1, 2021
On top 10 list for baby books. Benson also loves the series of four books.
September 14, 2011
My son can't get enough of Helen Oxenbury.
December 6, 2021
Super simple. Some babies bounce on the bed and "all fall down."
When I got this with our Amazon Book Box for kids subscription earlier, at first I thought, "What the...? This book has so few pages!"
Then I read it to Lily and she looooved it. She likes to reenact it on the bed and recite it. Helen Oxenbury certainly knows what kids will like!
That said, I am going to pass it along to a friend whose daughter might like it too.
When I got this with our Amazon Book Box for kids subscription earlier, at first I thought, "What the...? This book has so few pages!"
Then I read it to Lily and she looooved it. She likes to reenact it on the bed and recite it. Helen Oxenbury certainly knows what kids will like!
That said, I am going to pass it along to a friend whose daughter might like it too.
July 6, 2017
could you get any more simple than this? works though.
February 16, 2018
Cute, colorful and short read that can turn into an interactive read. Will be in my future classroom.
April 22, 2018
Very simple actions of toddlers. B-
Read
June 26, 2019More fun as a song!
October 8, 2019
A diverse group of babies do various actions. A cute board book for storytime.
October 15, 2020
Super short book. Like 4 pages... Why was this published?
February 10, 2021
5 stars from Violet for being her latest "more" book.
August 18, 2021
Cute illustrations but I am not sure if children would interact with it.
June 29, 2022
The whole book has like 8 words
August 16, 2022
Simple but efficive
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2012
All Fall Down is a picture book with a few words on some of the pages. From the pictures, I understood that book as a group of kids that are all playing with each other that are jumping on a bed and then they all fall down. In the pictures, you notice that all the little kids are different ethnicities and they're all playing together and getting along. I recommend this book to parents who read stories to their kids. It's a book that introduces children to different races at such a young age and the pictures show these children playing and having fun with each other. I really enjoyed the pictures and the deeper message the book was portraying. With this book, kids will start to understand different races at a young age.
December 19, 2010
Helen Oxenbury's board books were highly recommended in another book I was reading (both possible titles were too long to write here). I wasn't that impressed. I had read Ten Fingers and Ten Toes (I think that's the title), back before Natalie was born, and didn't like the illustrations. I still am not found of the look of the babies. The illustrations are nice big close ups of babies playing, but they just weren't for me. I'd prefer photographs than this style. The text were simple and rhymed, but didn't make me laugh or connected or anything. Maybe it is because these books are intended for infants, and I waited too long to try to share them with Natalie.
November 14, 2018
My daughter's favorite book, we've read this at least 5 times each day we had it checked out of the library and now bought it to have at the ready at home. Seriously it's only 4 pages and I end up singing and doing sound effects for each page so it's like a party...and of course Mommy's got it memorized now >_>
November 10, 2015
My 10 month old son enjoyed the large-format pictures and sing-song text of this library selection (and I love the diversity represented in its illustrations), but we couldn't help wishing it was just a little longer.
May 9, 2020
Read at Baby Lap Time at the Tenley library on 10/4/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
October 28, 2014
50 Books to Read to Your Baby(2013 Meade Co.)
July 22, 2014
See this book is geared toward very young children, but I still love it now that my babies aren't babies anymore. The simple rhyme and great pictures make it something I won't part with.
May 14, 2016
Wow. Four pages, two sentences. Someone got paid to write this.
May 21, 2016
Age: Baby
ECRR: play, write, phonological awareness
ECRR: play, write, phonological awareness
July 16, 2014
2000 Sep 14
March 29, 2017
This book is really short and doesn’t have a lot of words in it. I feel like it’s definitely for younger kids but I don’t think I would read it unless we just needed like a little cool down or something. I what I do like about the book is that I see all different types of babies in the book from. The book shows African American babies, Asian babies, and Caucasian babies. I think that’s important because it helps to feel a part of a relate to a group when you see representation. Maybe while reading it out loud I’d emphasize the actions and having the kids do what the kids in the book are doing.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews