Spring has sprung, and baby animals are being born, along with humans. Here are some exceptional books made expressly about, and for, babies. Every book is made of sturdy pages for tiny hands, so every book is a board book. The first two books are expressly for siblings to help prepare them for the arrival of the new baby. The rest are for babies and toddlers. Reading to even the newest baby will help bond, teach language, and enhance the enjoyment of books. So – what are you waiting for? Get reading!
Say Hello to Baby, by Smriti Prasadam-Halls, and brightly illustrated by Brittany Teckentrup, is the perfect guide to help inform big brothers and sisters about the upcoming birth of their newest family member. There are short sections that include Did you know?, informing about eye color, the umbilical cord, and tears. The short section, thoughts and feelings, discusses smiles and facial or voice signals.
How BIG is Baby?,by Kirsten Hall, and cleverly illustrated by Aki, has every page with lift up flaps for siblings to learn how the new baby grows when mommy is pregnant. Each open-page features a new month in mommy’s growing pregnancy, along with a lift-the-flap showcasing the size of baby inside mommy. There is also a similar sized object for youngsters to compare. So, on the open-page for 5 months, you see the size of baby under the flap along with a sibling holding a comparable-sized carrot.
Good Morning, Busytown!, by Richard Scary, is a wonderful introduction to new kiddies who haven’t met all of Scary’s lovable and adorable characters. This sturdy tabbed book has each character listed ready for youngsters to pull and learn about their eventful morning. The action pictures are fun and make reading through this an event to happen again and again. Every Scary book is filled with language for youngsters to gleam. Busy Busy People is another fun-filled book kiddies will love! If you haven’t discovered Richard Scary books, what are you waiting for?
Smile, Baby!, illustrated by Nicola Slater, is the perfect small-sized book for the new baby. It features a large mirror in the middle of this die-cut book, so every page showcases the mirror. The text that goes with each page encourages the reader to do different things with baby. One page asks Where is baby’s mouth? Then it asks can you blow baby a kiss? Studies have shown babies are drawn to look at themselves.
Busy Little Bee and Busy Little Fishy, both by Salina Yoon, are both On-the-Go books in the shape of a bee or fish with a handle for kiddies to grab hold of. The Bee book is a count down from five and the Fishy book tells a little underwater story. The Bee book features a shimmery wing and the Fishy book has a shimmery fin. Both books have a google eye.
Sesame Street: Happy, Healthy Monsters, by Lori C. Froeb, and brightly illustrated by Ernie Kwiat, is the perfect book to teach youngsters the importance of washing their hands to stay healthy. Elmo, along with other Sesame Street characters, also shows the importance of eating healthy foods and getting plenty of sleep. There are interactive wheels, a flap to lift, and pull tabs, making learning fun!
Finger puppet books are a delightful way to entertain little ones. These are books where you can place your finger into the book. The following books feature an animal that pops out by placing a finger inside: Baby Fox, Little Love Bug, Baby Raccoon, Baby Otter and Baby Narwhal. These are small sized books, and all are designed by Joy Marvel. Hug Me: Little Puppy,by Linda Ortiz, is a little larger in size and has two places to put fingers in so it appears puppy is hugging.
Touch and Feel: ABC (Scholastic Early Learners),illustrated by Scott Barker, is bright featuring different textures on every page. This is a tabbed book making finding each letter easy. The rhyming text and colorful pages will captivate the very young learner.
Peekaboo Sun and Peekaboo Bear, both by Camilla Reid, and brilliantly colored by Ingela P. Arrhenius, are packed with ingenious mechanisms to encourage kiddies to pour over them again and again. Every page has something to either pull, push or turn. Toddlers will love these books!
Unicorn’s Birthday, by Lucy Golden, and uniquely illustrated by Sophie Beer, features turn-the-wheels on every page. This book can be changed according to which word you turn to make the storyline funny. There are also pictures to turn to make changes to the story. The ending page will be especially fun as kiddies discover a special surprise.
Oh So Kind!, by Joy Cho, and delightfully illustrated by Angie Stalker, features a lift-the-flap on every open-page. Kiddies will discover, by opening each flap, how to be kind with each problem presented. What a great lesson for all to learn!
Surprise! Slide and Play Shapes,by Elsa Fouquier, is a captivating and unique way to learn shapes. By twisting, turning or sliding a specific shape, surprises will be revealed. These shapes (square, circle, triangle and star) project out of the book making learning and remembering easy.
You’re My Little Baby, by Eric Carle, features a tough feel on every brightly painted open page. Some pages have a flap to find a hidden baby animal. The rhyming text showcases the endearing love between parent and baby animal. This book features Eric Carle’s colorful and endearing artwork.
Miki Gets Dressed (Pull, Play, and Pop-up!), by Stephanie Babin, and vibrantly illustrated by Julie Mercier, has pull tabs on every open page as he gets ready for the day. You can pull tabs to pull on his pants and pull tabs to put on his shoes. The last page features a fun pop-up to complete his day.
