The Baby Book Nook

I am going to ramble a bit. If you have no time for a little leaf crunching and fresh air, scroll down to the last paragraph. If I had one "do-over" as a parent, it would be to have shared more books with my three children. Not for the sake of them knowing books, but for the sake of me knowing them. I occasionally stray from my diet of board books and read about writing. Recently, I learned authors often make the mistake of writing to their reader's needs rather than their wants. The former is a bit presumptuous. At the very least, it assumes a knowledge of a readership that a writer likely does not have. How can we know what others need without a dialogue in place? I believe I know what your baby needs, board book wise, based on his or her developmental age. You are lucky. You know what your baby wants . Long books, short books? Quiet books, loud books? Ducks, trucks, goose? Pair your child's needs with their wants and you'll create A LOT of page interest.

Build a better world, one board (book) at a time! Present a copy of a favorite read-aloud to your local library, a neighborhood child care center, a church nursery program. Giving a party? Invite guests to bring children's books as hostess gifts. Pass them on.  Many charities focus on early literacy and book access. Here's a handful. At least one encourages donations of gently-used children's books. Read a book. Pass it on. Reach Out and Read First Book Books for Africa Pajama Program Page Ahead Children's Literacy Program

In Lane Smith's It's a Little Book (2011), a curious Donkey in diapers points and asks, What is that? It's a book. He grabs it from Monkey and bites down. Is it for chewing? Monkey replies, No . Donkey tries it on as a hat. Is it for wearing? No. He opens the book like a laptop. Is it for e-mailing? No. Questions keep coming till Monkey tells his persistent friend, It's for reading. It's a book, silly. This is a pint-size version of Smith's controversial It's a Book (2010) picture book, with younger characters, new text, and a gentle ending. It's every bit as funny.   Smith examples an infant's point of view perfectly.  Young babies regard board books as THINGS--hard, smooth, bendy, weighty, and full of flight potential--and play with them as such. They associate reading with YOU--attentive, playful, and full of book talk. Read on!