HOW TO FIND THE BEST BOOKS FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS

Children come to us as blank pages, hopefully to be filled with love, thoughfulness, courage, and the beautiful wonders of our world. These things can definitely be introduced to even the youngest, by reading aloud to them! Holding your little one on your lap is the perfect time to bond physically and emotionally - as you share in the pictures and stories together.

A baby's world before birth was his mother's womb, where he was surrounded by the rhythmic sound of her heartbeat. No wonder the rhymes of poems, such as Mother Goose, became so popular for young children - it's the rhythym!

When choosing books for babies and toddlers, I learned to find those that would stimulate their sight and hearing: lots of colorful pictures and exciting (and sometimes restful) sounds. I also think investing in "board books" is a smart idea. (Then you don't have to worry about all the grabbing and sucking that starts as they begin teething!)

A favorite beginner book I like to recommend is, "Jamberry" by Bruce Degen. There are colorful illustrations on every page, starting with a bear and a boy, and adding more animals as the story progresses. Here's some of the fun:

"One berry, two berry, pick me a blueberry.

Hatberry, shoeberry, in my canoeberry.

Three berry, four berry, hayberry, strawberry.

Finger and pawberry, my berry, your berry."

CLICK HERE for Jim Trelease's downloadable brochure with "Tips on Reading Aloud to Infants and Toddlers."  (for personal use only).

Some other fun read aloud choices for ages 0-3: "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" & "Chicka Chicka ABC" by John Archambault and Bill Martin, Jr.; "Undersea Open Sesame" by Kees Moerbeek; "Miss Spider's Tea Party, the Counting Book" by David Kirk; "My Very First Mother Goose Book" by Iona Opi, illustrated by Rosemary Wells; "Noah's Ark" by Lucy Cousins; "Tom and Pippo's Day" by Helen Oxenbury; "How Many Kisses Goodnight?" by Jean M. Thomas, illustrated by Eloise Wilkin; "Moo, Baa, La La La" by Sandra Boynton; "PeekaBoo" by Janet and Alan Ahlberg; "Counting Kisses" by Karen Katz; "Gossie" by Olivier Dunrea.

Some of my kids' faves: "I Am A Bunny", by Ole Risom, illustrated by Richard Scarry; "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown; "Pat the Bunny" by Dorothy Kunhardt; "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Suess; "Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever" & "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go" by Richard Scarry; "The Very Quiet Cricket" by Eric Carle; "The Real Mother Goose" by Blanche Fisher Wright; "Where's Spot?" (lift-the-flap) by Eric Hill; "Sheep in a Jeep" by Nancy Shaw; "The Runaway Bunny" by Margaret Wise Brown; "Go Dog, Go!" by P.D. Eastman; "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats; "The Little Train" by Lois Lenski.