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Miss Pam

🦋 Best Books for Babies - From a Children's Librarian

Updated: Oct 10

So many books, so little trusted advice! [Please share this post with anyone who might be interested!]


GENTLE REMINDER: We want children to find books fun, not frustrating.

It's easy to fall into the trap of wanting your child to read and listen to books intended for older children, but, don't do it! They truly will engage most with books that hit their sweet spot, developmentally.


This post has been updated and expanded.


GENTLE REMINDER: We want children to find books fun, not frustrating.


It's easy to fall into the trap of wanting your child to read and listen to books intended for older children, but, I urge you to focus on books that are written and designed for a baby’s brain. They truly will engage most with books that hit their sweet spot developmentally.


We want books that “fit” into the head of a 6 month old or a one year old. Authors and publishers consider their audience and write accordingly. The sweet spot is where learning is most likely to take place.


The books I recommend here, are pretty much guaranteed to please your baby in their first year and beyond. I should know, I've read, sang, talked and played with hundreds of thousands of babies and toddlers, over the past 50+ years. I've used all of these books with repeated success.

 

☀My Favorite Books for Baby's First Year☀

with tips on how to use them.



1 ☀Baby Talk by Stella Blackstone


Close up high contrast photographs make this book an intimate one to read to your baby. Great rhythm to the text. Great message to encourage families to talk, hug, sing and play with their babies.


Engage: I like to read this one as a call and response, an echo of sorts. Repetition is the key to learning and this one has a catchy echo that's fun for everyone"You talk to me and I talk to you ECHO - You talk to me and I talk to you "You sing to me and I sing to you" ECHO - You sing to me and I sing to you. . . repeat, repeat, add other verbs.

**Recommended for: All ages from 2-16 months



Engage: Ilike to read this one as a call and response, an echo of sorts. Repetition is the key to learning and this one has a catchy echo that's fun for everyone

"You talk to me and I talk to you

ECHO - You talk to me and I talk to you

"You sing to me and I sing to you"

ECHO - You sing to me and I sing to you. . .


**Recommended for: All ages from 2-16 months


2☀Baby Dance by Ann Taylor Pictures by Marjorie van Heerden


This book can be read or sung and is sure to get you lifting your baby a little or a lot. Great upper body work out punctuated by smiles and laughs!


Engage: Up, up, up! Down, down, down!

If you don't want to lift your baby, lift their arms or lift the book so that they follow with their eyes and start to understand what "up to the ceiling, down to the ground" really means.


**Recommended for: Ages 3 - 16 months.


3☀ Shades of People by Shelley Rottner


A book filled with wonderful photographs showing all sorts of faces with all sorts of expression. It's great for babies!


The text is minimal - 3 to 10 words per page. This book is a good introduction to our differences and similarities.


Engage: Babies love looking at faces! Touch the photos and talk about what you see. Wave to the faces. Count the smiles. Who is not smiling? Depending on the age of your baby, talk about a face that looks happy, a thinking face, mouth closed, mouth open, darker skin, lighter skin, hair color, or style. Whose teeth can we see?


**Recommended for: Ages 3 months and up.


4☀ Bright Brown Baby by Andrea Pinkney


Engage: Snuggle up with your little one to celebrate sweet baby love! You won't be able to resist delivering belly kisses, and magic wishes, in its bouncing, rhythmic text

















5☀The Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O'Connell

Pictures by Ken Wilson-Max

This book makes you make sounds - from beep to boom to flip, flip flip! Practicing sounds is what it is all about in these early years. We're getting their lips, tongue and whole mouth ready for language. And their brain is getting a workout!


**Recommended for: Ages 6 - 16 months.



MORE TIPS AND TRICKS

👁‍🗨 Try extending your read aloud time with a rhyme or a song

👁‍🗨 Bring out a brightly colored fabric and wave it side to side

👁‍🗨 Read and speak slowly. Make your voice go up and down, deep and high

👁‍🗨 Shake a rattle on your head cha - cha -cha and on your shoulders, cha - cha -cha!

👁‍🗨 You are bonding using words, songs and rhymes


5☀ Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora

Diverse, clear illustrations, few words, each page beginning "Peekaboo, I see my..." mommy, daddy, puppy etc.


Engage: On each page, model waving to the people in the book. My grandson began waving at "mummy" during his 9th month and it was thrilling! Follow with the peekaboo song I sing on the podcast, putting your hands over your face and pulling them away in perfect timing.


**Recommended: Ages 6 - 18 months.


6Peek a Moo by Nina Laden

A rhyming and peeking farm adventure! The cutouts make it easy to be silly.


Engage: Tuck your lips in the opening and say, "Moooo" of course. Your little one just might mimic you! Was one of my grandson's favorite books for a long time. The last page is a mirror, "Peek a You"! Sure to make your little smile and laugh.


**Recommended for: Ages 6 - 18 months.



7☀Babies on the Bus by Karen Katz

Books of familiar songs can be a great way to engage your baby. Don't think you can sing? Trust me, your baby loves your voice more than anything else in the world.


Engage: For windshield wipers I point my index fingers up and move them side to side, so that they really do look like windshield wiper arms while building finger strength and joint articulation. When baby sings La, la, la, make sure your they can see your mouth.


**Recommended for: Ages 6 - 18 months.



8☀ Besos for Baby by Jen Arena


From mami and papi to perro and gato, lots of kisses to go around! Great way to gently infuse basic Spanish vocabulary even if you don't speak a word of it. Or substitute your own 2nd language while showing the pictures.


**Recommended for: Ages 6 - 16 months.


What makes a book developmentally appropriate

for babies aged 2 to 12 months?


Seek out books with some of these qualities:


☀ just a few words on the page - you can add a few of your own.


☀large, clear illustrations on not-too-busy pages;


☀ photos or drawings of human faces and familiar items;


☀for older littles, the hint of a simple story with a beginning, middle and end is fun to read and fun to hear;


☀books with words and wordless books, so you can tell the story in your own way; stop and notice something in the picture, "That cat is curled up on the chair" or "I see 1, 2, 3 stars!"


☀books that make you do something - sing, move, clap hands, make faces and noises, lift flaps, push buttons or pat the bunny.


 


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