The Baby Book Nook

A guest post by Danielle Schulman, a mom in real time, who writes at A-Lit-erations :   Favorite Baby Books (Birth-12 months) Life with a young child means never having the time to do all the projects one would wish. When I get a free moment to blog, it is going to be for my family to hear about my child, and this project takes a seat in the waaaay back of the bus. Today's post will serve as a two-fer, as we discuss great baby books. I was inspired a few months back by a post entitled, 10 Books To Capture Your Baby's Attention. It is a Mom-tested, Baby-approved list, with some thoughts about what her baby seemed to like about the book, and around when. Today, I would like to attempt the same, using my daughter's favorites from birth to 1 year.                  Fire Truck  by Peter Sis  (board) This was the first book I ever read with my daughter, when she was about 1-week-old. I have discussed this book on this blog before. It is a book about a boy who

Can your baby moo like a cow? Bleat like a sheep?  Arguably, first moos count as first words. According to the Hawaii Early Learning Profile , babies repeat playful sounds and gestures starting at about 12 months of age; they imitate environmental sounds between 18 and 21 months of age.  Vrooom!  Bam! BOOM . Is your baby almost one? Get quacking. 

The fall 2011 edition of The Horn Book Guide arrived! One month ago. It sat, perched on top of one of many piles of books, till now. Below are starred preschool picks published between January and June of this year. Click titles for book information. My favorite? Little Chicken's Big Day. It's very funny. We need funny. No Sleep for Sheep! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by Jacke Urbanovic Tweak Tweak by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier Little Chicken's Big Day by Katie Davis and Jerry Davis, illustrated by Katie Davis Worms for Lunch? by Leonid Gore Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage Cars Galore by Peter Stein, illustrated by Bob Staake Press Here by Herve Tullet Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! by Mo Willems

The Lucy Cousins' Nursery Rhymes Collection (2011) is a boxed set of four 3 1/2 inch by 3 1/2 inch board books titled Little Miss Muffet ,  Humpty Dumpty , Wee Willie Winkie , and Jack and Jill . Each book holds about ten poems. From what I gather, the books are down-sized versions of stand-alones published between 1996 and 1997. The new collection is just right for toddlers. Pictures carry animal chatter for 1-year-olds and line-ups of countable items for 2- and 3-year-olds . . . two dicky birds, three fiddlers, five fish. How many blackbirds are baked in a pie? If you've forgotten, check out Humpty Who? by Jennifer Griffin.  Mother Goose matters. Sing-song rhythms accent words for learning. The mouse ran up the clock . Action rhymes produce off-the-page play: "This Little Piggy" and "Patty Cake." Rhyming words prime young ears for language sounds awareness, a correlate of reading skills development. HONK if your baby likes Mother Goo