Very young babies can not see stars. In her 1997 article "First Glances: The Vision of Infants," researcher Davida Y. Teller simulates what babies can see with a series of hazy snapshots. The photos drive home one point and raise another. First, if we want babies, 6 months and younger, to look at a book, we have to offer one that has strong visual elements such as Twinkle, twinkle! by amazing baby™ or Hello, Bugs! by Smriti Prasadam and Emily Bolam. Second, very young infants rely heartily on hearing and touch to get a sense of their world. Very early on, a loving look likely says a little. A soothing voice and gentle touch likely say a lot.
The short (or long or tall) of it: A concept book is a picture book that teaches a broad concept to young readers. Examples? Alphabet books, number books, books about c o l o r s , opposites, books about feelings and emotions. A concept is an idea, an abstract notion. Here's the rub. Very young readers are concrete thinkers, very "here and now." Luckily concept books do not have to teach the alphabetic principle, or algebra, or color theory. They teach what toddlers and young preschoolers can see, hear, touch, and feel - the upper and lowercase, quiet and loud, and happy and sad face of things. Three concept books by DENISE FLEMING: LUNCH (1998) from Henry Holt and Co. Concept: Colors. A toothsome mouse, called Mouse, eats his way through the primary and secondary colors and then some. The pictures are deliciously big. Bon appetit! The emergent literacy bent: The text is sparse and the letters large, fostering print awareness. Point out a few words as yo
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