It’s never too soon to introduce books to babies. Some radical
thinkers in this area suggest starting at nine months old, but why
leave it so late? You could start at birth, making book-time equal
quality-time for you and baby.
Tiny Teethers: Puppy and Zoo, illustrated by Cathy Gale
The Tiny Teethers series of shaped board books have a multiplicity of uses. They have a hole cut in the spine where a plastic strip attaches a teether to the book. The teether, which is filled with water, can be taken off and put in the fridge to cool, helping ease sore gums.
The teether has a hole in the middle and is moulded in a handle shape that can be easily gripped by newborns.
The Puppy book shows a puppy making a mess on the kitchen
floor, and a little baby doing the same. When the puppy hides, the
baby does too, until the end when: “Puppy yawns loudly. And I do,
too!” The last scene shows the puppy sleeping at the bottom of
the baby’s duvet-bag, and the words: “Let’s play again
later!” The illustrations are cheerful and endearing, and the
books should work at different stages in your baby’s development.
Published by Campbell Books, £3.99 each
Bear’s busy family, by Stella Blackstone, illustrated
by Debbie Harter
The
lilting verse of this colourful book tells the story of a family of
bears, encouraging children to join in with the sensory experiences:
“Smell the bread my grandma bakes/Touch the bowls my grandpa
makes.” At the end of the book Bear’s family tree is illustrated
with each of the family members shown sitting in a large tree.
Mum of a five- month-old comments: “I like the illustrations.
They’re really vibrant, and my son responds well to them kicking
furiously when we get the book out. There are lots of details to talk
about.”
Published by Barefoot Books, £4.99
Where to next?
- More baby books for the 0-6 months age groups
- More baby books for all age groups
- Click here for
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