Reading to Baby

Reading to Baby


Read to a newborn baby? YES! It may seem too early, but reading to an infant is the beginning of a lifetime of that child loving books. A baby doesn’t understand the words you read, but he or she feels safe in your loving arms, hearing the familiar sound of your voice and receiving your undivided attention.

Read anything! In the earliest days of infancy, you can read anything to your baby. The sound of your voice is what is important, not the content of what you are reading. Of course, if baby isn’t in the mood to listen and is fussy, try again later.

Your baby’s growing awareness. Once a baby is more aware of what is around him and can hold objects, he’s ready for children’s books that relate to his world and introduce words and concepts in a fun way.

Books to chew on. Baby is exploring her surroundings by putting everything in her mouth, so board books are a great type of book to begin a home library. Board books are made of sturdy cardboard so a baby can’t rip the pages and can even chew on them without too much damage!

How to choose a book. Look for books that have lots of rhythm and rhyme and pictures that show recognizable objects and faces of people. You’ll want to avoid board books with too much text or ones where the pictures are too small. This happens when a larger format book for older children is printed into a board book.

Keep it fun! When reading to your baby, you may not want to read all the words in the book, or even look at all the pages. Looking at the pictures, asking questions or pointing things out is another way to share books with your child. Most important is to enjoy your time together!



Board Books for Baby

Board Books for Baby
Books with Rhyming and Word Play
Tomie’s Little Mother Goose by Tomie dePaola
Itsy, Bitsy Spider by Annie Kubler
My First Signs by Annie Kubler
Cow Moo Me by Stephen Losordo
Baby Beluga by Raffi
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw
Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
Books with Movement
Tumble Bumble by Felicia Bond
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
Baby Dance by Ann Taylor
Books that Say Good Night
Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
Snoozers by Sandra Boynton
Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Time for Bed by Mem Fox
Say Goodnight by Helen Oxenbury
Books that Say I Love You
Hug by Jez Alborough
Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joose
Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
Papa, Papa and Mama, Mama by Jean Marzollo
Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam McBratney
I Love You, Sun, I Love You, Moon by Karen Pandell
More, More, More, Said the Baby by Vera Williams
Books with Faces of People
Baby’s World Out and About, a DK Book
Baby Faces, a DK book
Peek-a-Boo by Roberta Grobel Intrater
Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler
Maybe My Baby by Irene O’Book
I Can and All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury
Shades of Black by Sandra Pinkney
Books with Things to Find or to Guess What’s Next
Little Cloud by Eric Carle
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle
Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom
Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
I Spy Little Animals by Jean Marzollo
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri
Silly Little Goose by Nancy Tafuri
I Went Walking by Sue Williams
Books that Make Learning Fun
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Freight Train by Donald Crews
Color Farm by Lois Ehlert
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
Count! by Denise Fleming
Spot Counts from One to Ten by Eric Hill
Spots Favorite Words by Eric Hill
Miss Spider’s Tea Party Counting Book by David Kirk
Chicka Chicka ABC by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Shapes Galore, Snapshot Tabulated Board Books
Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Books about Baby’s World and Other Stories
Moonbear’s Canoe by Frank Asch
I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton
Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
Good Dog Carl by Alexandra Day
All About Baby, a DK book
Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes by Judy Hindley
Good Morning, Baby by Cheryl Willis Hudson and George Ford
The Little Fire Engine by Lois Lenski
I Like It When by Mary Murphy
My Big Truck Book by Roger Priddy
My Little Animal Book by Roger Priddy
Giant Machines, Snapshot Board Book
Max’s New Suit by Rosemary Wells
Books for Grown-Ups about Reading Aloud
Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox
Great Books for Babies and Toddlers: More Than 500 Recommended Books for Your Child’s First Three Years by Kathleen Odean
Reading with Babies, Toddlers and Twos: A Guide to Choosing and Loving Books Together by Susan Straub and KJ Dell’Antonia
The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease


http://www.familyreading.org/i-boardbooks.htm
Please visit Family Reading Partnership.