The Baby Book Nook

These three hardcover picture books recently got board. The younger format makes great reading for almost-threes. Bob Shea's dinosaur conq u ers the day in Dinosaur vs. Bedtime (2011). He writes, ROAR! I 'M A DIN OSAUR! ROAR! NOTHING CAN STOP ME! Playtime, mealtime, and b athtime are KO'd by this likable Roarosaurus. Brilliant pictures add punch. Do you live with a dinosaur? He will love this book! P.S. Read red. Did you know that 2- and 3-year-olds rarely look at book print? They eye the pictures. Reading researchers point to a relationship between preschoolers' print awareness and early elementary reading ability. What can parents do? P oint o ut p rint as you read:  POP! Playfully. Sparingly. Once per book for 1-year-olds; twice for 2-year-olds; thrice for 3's. Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type (2010) by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin makes it easy. Words embedded in pictures beg for attention. Play off the page. W rite, illustrate, and post crayon

Super Chicken! (2013) by Rebecca Purcell has holes for poking, bold patterns for gazing, and pretend play aplenty. Take the cover : Super Chicken's goggles are die-cut. Baby pokes . Mom labels,  Eyes! Turn the page. Super Chicken's cape has a star cut-out. Baby pokes . Dad labels, C ape! Poke and point. Point and label. Perfect! Holes vary in size and s hape throughout , accommodating baby's first finger or fist, depending. The book is bigger than most boards, a full 8 1/4 by 8 1/4 inches . Pictures are bright and eye-catching.   P airs of 2-page spread s tell three s imple stor ies about Chicken's day. For example, Purcell writes, Chicken builds a castle out of blocks. Chicken plays . Very basic . Turn the page. Super Chicken rescues a baby dragon!   Chicken's super imagination takes her high above the castle turned me dieval mansion to rescue a dragon in distress, a small stuffed animal plucked from the previous page.

Here's a peek at January '13 releases. Is there one you'd like to hear about?

Comment Number 3 was chosen at random from a set of numbers 1 through 11. Congratulations , Donna ! Please email  me for shipping details. Thanks, everyone, for entering! Stay tuned for more baby book news!!!