The Baby Book Nook

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award - Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Polly Dunbar; Indies' Choice Book Awards - Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems ; Golden Kite Awards - A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton, Last Night by Hyewon Yum; Pura Belpré Award - Just In Case by Yuyi Morales ; Giverny Award for "Best Children's Science Picture Book " - Forest Bright, Forest Night by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Jamichael Henterly; Christopher Awards - Close to You: How Animals Bond by Kimiko Kajikawa, That Book Woman by Heather Henson, illustrated by David Small ; The Coretta Scott King Award - The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper; Randolph Caldecott Medal - The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes ; Theodor Seuss Geisel Award - Are You Ready to...

My friend Jill asked for audio book recommendations for her granddaughter who is five. Knowing very little about children's audio books, I did a little research. Literacy expert Susan B. Neuman writes, Hearing a book read on tape helps (your child) see how the words on the page can come alive in a fluid, expressive way. It helps her focus on the sounds of words read without interruption and provides a model of fluent reading. Audio books also give an important introduction to listening — a skill that she must master in order to learn to read. Several audio formats are available. What you choose depends on how and where you plan to listen. Would you? Could you? In a car? Look for books on CD’s or MP3 downloads. In an OLD car? Cassettes. Do you have new kid technology, such as the Fisher Price Kid Tough FP3 Song & Story Player, or old? Downloads... cassettes. You get the idea. By the way, you can find gently-used Fisher Price tape players online. Some audio books are packaged wi...