The Baby Book Nook

This is my favorite out-of-print board book. Hands down. If you act fast you can purchase a new (old) copy from Amazon.com for $2,095.01. That's right. A steal! Maybe I should put my copy in a safe, but then I'd have to buy the safe. Max's one word was BANG! No, Max, said his sister, Ruby. Say CUP. BANG, said Max. Ruby wants to expand Max's toddling vocabulary. She points to and labels a cup, a pot, a broom, a fish, an EGG EGG EGG EGG , a chair, and an apple. She eyes Max expectantly. BANG , says Max, to each word request, though he takes a bite from the apple. Ruby urges, YUM YUM, Max. Say YUM YUM. Delicious! says Max. It appears Max knows more than he's let on all along. Rosemary Wells captures the voice and attitude of very young children perfectly. In fact, Max and Ruby were drawn from her children in real time. Wonderful illustrations and book dialogue aside, I love how Max reminds us that every child operates on his or her own speech time table. Max...

WHO? You and your newborn WHAT? Your favorite picture book, nursery rhymes , black and white board books , board books with bling WHEN? Morning, noon, or night when baby is quiet and alert, not hungry, tired, or wet WHERE? A quiet place WHY? Read-aloud is fun and fosters a relationship between you and baby, and baby and books. HOW long? Likely you'll read in micro spurts. If baby fusses or starts hiccuping or shuts her eyes in a deliberate-not-sleepy-kind-of-way, close the book.

Peek-a-boo play he lps teach object permanence. Peek-a-boo books cue peek-a-boo play. They make great reading for babies. What is object permanence? It is the rabbit in the hat, out of sight, but still on stage. It is knowing that people and objects carry on after they leave your field of vision. Imagine a cement truck pouring a concrete foundation for thinking skills development. Object permanence is in the mix. Once set, babies think about people and things differently. Labels and attributes stick. A sense of security builds. Expectations and attachments form. According to developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, object permanence emerges at about nine months of age. My favorite peek-a-boo book for young babies is  Peek-a WHO? (2000) by Nina Laden. Six mitt-sized, peanut-shaped holes cue hands-on reading. Peek-a WHO? Turn the cover page and find an owl.  You can Peek a MOO! and Peek a CHOO-CHOO! A large mirror insert fills the last page: Peek a YOU! T...

I love pasta. French children's book writer Marion Billet serves up a plateful: Noodle Loves Bedtime (2011),  Noodle Loves to Cuddle (2011),  Noodle Loves to Eat (2012), and Noodle Loves the Beach (2012). The latter two come available mid-March. Two additional titles, Noodle Loves the Farm and Noodle Loves to Drive , are in the works. Each book has a cover with an insert and five 2-page spreads.   Each spread has a fun flap to peek under or a texture to touch. Every last page has a mirror insert and a line just for baby: And j ust like Noodle, you love t o sleep! or cuddle! or eat! or just like Noodle, you love the beach! Billet's illustrations are bright and cheery. She draws a wide-eyed panda who loves EVERYTHING.   Noodle loves bread. Noodle loves cheese. Noodle loves pasta, and Noodle loves peas. I love the flaps and inserts. Spongy white bread. Smooth cheese. (You can almost feel the fat!) A stick...