Reading is a wonderful activity for new parents. It’s calming and relaxing, therefore a perfect fit for the bedtime routine. If you’re holding the infant while reading, the baby can hear your heartbeat and feel your warmth, in addition to being comforted by your soothing voice.
At birth, infants only see black and white—within a week they can see red, orange, yellow and green—and until about eight weeks they are unable to focus on objects beyond eight to ten inches away. So the truth of the matter is, when an infant is under 2 months old, you can read him or her practically anything. At this stage the purpose of reading is more about the bonding activity. If you’ll feel calmer reading Telegraph Avenue than Jamberry then you should read what makes you relax.
Reading actual books matters more when your baby can focus. And reading board books becomes key when babies start reaching for objects. Made with hard cardboard pages, board books are sturdy and can withstand quite a lot of activity. Their smaller size makes them comfortable for little hands, and the thick, rigid pages are easy to turn. Babies and toddlers get used to holding books, being around books, and including books in their daily lives. Board books can be a part of bonding time, playtime and can increase the likelihood of a lifetime of reading. And that’s the whole point! Think of board books as training wheels for, well, the whole world of books.
I have a standard go-to list of books I buy from whenever someone I know is having, or has just had, a baby. Before sharing that list, there are two things I’d like to say about it.
First, some may notice a few glaring omissions: Goodnight Moon, Runaway Bunny, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, to name a few. That’s because these are some of the most popular choices and it’s likely that someone else may have already gifted them.
Second, there’s not a Sandra Boynton board book I wouldn’t buy or recommend. She’s funny, her art is playful and babies and toddlers eat her books up. Literally. There are a lot of Sandra Boynton books on this list and they, for me, are the crème of the crop.
Now, the list.
The following three have bold shapes, in sharp contrast and are best for infants six months and under.
Black on White by Tana Hoban
White on Black by Tana Hoban
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
These are my favorite Sandra Boynton titles.
And these have short, simple stories with bright, attractive art.
Hug by Jez Alborough
Jamberry by Bruce Degan
I am a Bunny by Ole Risom, illustrated by Richard Scarry
Tumble Bumble by Felecia Bond
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathman
Time for Bed written by Mem Fox, illustrated by Jane Dyer
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple
Each Peach Pear Plum by Allen Ahlberg, illustrated by Janet Ahlberg
Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Kevin Lewis, illustrated by Daniel Kirk
The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Felicia Bond
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood
Toni said,
March 13, 2013 @ 12:12 am
It was so nice seeing your list it made me remember Jamberry and that it was one of my favorite books. I ordered it right away so that I can read it to my daughter.
Lori Fontanes said,
March 9, 2013 @ 3:14 pm
As I read your wonderful list, I am nodding my head and recalling the words and images. Thanks for the (not-too-distant) memories!
campfirememories said,
December 19, 2012 @ 5:12 pm
Thank you for providing this list, and your blog. I look forward to purchasing your picks for my new grandbaby, (due in April) and for my sister who owns a pre-school. I’d like to think even babies can discern quality
cmeyrat said,
December 15, 2012 @ 2:32 am
Thank you for such a great list of books I didn’t know about before! We were given Baby Talk and it’s been my 9 month old’s favorite since he first started focusing on a book. Now he helps turn the flaps and loves seeing the baby faces.
NikkiB said,
December 14, 2012 @ 12:21 am
My son was obsessed with “Freight Train” for awhile. I had to read it over and over again days on end, and then he began reading part of it to me. It’s really a terrific beginner book.
bikebanjoandbabyblog said,
November 12, 2012 @ 1:04 am
I love this post. Our baby is crazy about books and I wanted to get her some new ones. She can’t get enough of Barnyard Dance (she screams when she sees it) and also loves Boyton’s Snuggle Puppy. Her Dad gets annoyed at The Going to Bed Book, however, because he thinks it’s silly that they all exercise before bed (everyone knows that is poor sleep hygiene!) But we wanted to branch out beyond the popular choices so this is great. Thanks!
theonceandfutureemptynest said,
November 8, 2012 @ 5:29 pm
Nice suggestions, especially the first three. I’m adding them to my books for baby showers list.
Momma T's Table said,
November 8, 2012 @ 4:05 pm
Great ideas for my grandbabies for Christmas! I already got them Jamberry, The Going To Bed Book and Barnyard Dance all on my own! Can’t wait to check out the rest of these! Thanks! Nice Blog too!
janet said,
November 8, 2012 @ 12:38 am
Although this is for somewhat older children, a “friend” (he really was a friend, but…) gave us a copy of “Cars and Trucks and Things That Go.” Our children loved it!!! But they wanted to hear it so much that we were sick of it. We gave it to my brother and his wife.
Yes, we’re still friends. I do love children’s books.
TurtleAndRobot said,
November 8, 2012 @ 12:21 pm
It is quite a long book with a lot of text. You’re definitely not the first parent I’ve heard from that just couldn’t read that book anymore
veronicabenzing said,
November 7, 2012 @ 1:46 pm
It’s funny that you do not include the Very Hungry Caterpillar in your list. I received 3 copies for my baby shower, so clearly it is very popular. And the funny part is that my little girl hates it. When I started reading it to her, she started to cry.
I don’t really know the reason, but she did. Her favorite books so far are The Dog I Love Best, All The World by Liz Garton Scalnon, The Five Senses by Ikids, and Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett. I will have to check out some of the books on your list.
TurtleAndRobot said,
November 7, 2012 @ 2:00 pm
Thank you for your comment. I specifically avoided very popular books to help buyers avoid just what you say. Everyone knows to give Goodnight Moon, not nearly enough people know Tumble Bumble.
Gillian said,
November 6, 2012 @ 5:23 am
Many of these books were our favorites too, and now that my kids are older, they still pull out the battered copies. I even found some lying out where my sixteen-year-old had been warming up over a heating vent while he waited for the school bus. I used to use certain bouncing-on-knee patterns to go along with the rhythms, especially the Sandra Boynton and Bruce Degen books, so even at a few months old, my kids would anticipate the motions as well as the sounds. One of all four kids’ favorites (as well as my own as a child) was The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss/Crockett Johnson. I would read quietly until the climax, “and THEN…” (gasp of anticipation) “A CARROT CAME UP!”, and then the last “Just as the little boy knew it would.”
We also enjoyed Go Dog Go and Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman (read with different voices), A You’re Adorable by Kay, Wise & Lippman, Barn Dance by Bill Martin, Jr., and Dinner at the Panda Palace by Calmenson.
TurtleAndRobot said,
November 6, 2012 @ 3:27 pm
All great suggestions! It was incredibly difficult to narrow my choices down to 20. So happy to hear you and your family have enjoyed some of these books. Thank you for your wonderful comment.
Sugar Snap Me said,
October 8, 2012 @ 4:51 pm
My favorite Boyton book is “Personal Penguin”, mostly because the late Davey Jones recorded a single for it, and it’s delightful.
Amy said,
September 25, 2012 @ 12:27 pm
Oh, we have Barnyard Dance and I didn’t even realize the author was a ‘big deal’. I’ll have to look for her other titles now.
I’ll also throw in two that my son (10 months) seems to like; “Baby Cakes” by Karma and Sam Wilson, and the “In My _” books by Sara Gillingham.