The Baby Book Nook

Below is an excerpt from an article, "Reading Books to Babies," published by Kids Health . When and How to Read Here's a great thing about reading aloud: It doesn't take special skills or equipment, just you, your baby, and some books. Read aloud for a few minutes at a time, but do it often. Don't worry about finishing entire books — focus on pages that you and your baby enjoy. Try to set aside time to read every day — perhaps before naptime and bedtime. In addition to the pleasure that cuddling your baby before bed gives both of you, you'll also be making life easier by establishing a routine. This will help to calm your baby and set expectations about when it's time to sleep. It's also good to read at other points in the day. Choose times when your baby is dry, fed, and alert. Books also come in handy when you're stuck waiting, so have some in the diaper bag to fill time sitting at the doctor's office or standing in line at the gr...

Sturdy board pages. A rainbow of baby faces. Verse rhythm and rhyme. Playful, patterned artwork that pops from the page. All of which brings me to a final note (for now) about children's book illustrator Annie Kubler. Pictures can make or break a baby book's appeal. Kubler draws babies front and center, in the middle of things, just where they like to be! Her page action is simple. Each drawing carries one main idea or topic for conversation. Young children are grand imitators. Kubler's characters are often partnered with stuffed animals, 'lovies,' who imitate them . Her babies simply can't sit still! Sound like someone you know? Born in France, Annie Kubler lives and works in the UK. She is the Art Director at Child's Play International , an English publishing firm that specializes in books for the youngest reader.

Toddlers sometimes run in packs. The habitat varies: Daycare centers, playgroups, public libraries, family reunions, Y-care, playgrounds, church basements, families graced with multiple births. Three books by Annie Kubler play particularly well in small group settings.  Hands ready? The nursery song Ten Little Fingers (2003) is a fun-filled read that ends on a quiet note. It won an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Best Book Award . Ring Around A Rosie (2003) illustrates the circle game of the same name. It includes a second verse, Fishes in the water, Fishes in the sea ..., which gets children back on their feet ... W ith a one, two, three! I'm a Little Teapot! (2007) sets up pretend play. Kubler paints toddlers in togs that mimic the colors of a teapot. They are the teapot! Tottering two-year-olds stand on one foot and bend: Tip me up, and pour me out! Balance skills! At book's end, a   tea party. Does your toddler have a favorite nursery rhyme book?

This Little Piggy (2008), Annie Kubler's version of the popular rhyme, requires barefoot reading. Each two-page spread features a toddler touching a toe on the left and, dressed as a pink pig, acting out verse on the right. Ralphie as a rabbit in The Christmas Story comes to mind. Kubler draws five tikes across ten pages. Early vocabulary words- ball, book, blocks, and cup- are introduced on pages 3 and 4. A baby crisis occurs on pages 7 and 8: This little piggy had none! Major upset! You can talk about feelings. An opportunity to mimic animal sounds (yes, a pig) presents itself on pages 9 and 10. Adaptable for babies of all ages, This Little Piggy is perfect for 12- to 18-month-olds.

Illustrator Annie Kubler turns traditional nursery rhymes and songs into action tales. Perfect for busy babies and toddlers, her board books set the stage for off-the-page play. If You're Happy and You Know It... (2001)  is based on the song of the same name. The first stanza is set to music and printed in its entirety on the back cover. A total of eight song actions are pictured inside. For example, If You're Happy and You Know It... Clap your hands! (Babies clasp their hands at about 4 months of age.) Hide away! (Babies start peek-a-boo play at about 6 months.) Rattle and shake! (Babies as young as two and a half months can shake a light rattle.) Sing and play sans book throughout the day : Push some blocks! (Babies can build a tower with two alphabet blocks at about 12 months of age.) When you revisit the thick board pages, they will have more meaning. Note: Developmental stages are taken from the original Hawaii Early Learning Profile and describe grou...

The following board or cloth books have been recalled from the market due to  possible choke or lead exposure hazards. Click on product links below for more information. You'll note that many recall notices are several years old. Older books circulate as hand-me-downs and yard sale finds. Amazing Baby look and play! Amazing Baby touch and play! Amazing Baby rattle, rattle! Baby Buddy clip-on stroller book- Baby Faces Big Rex and Friends Cloth Book Monday the Bullfrog Plush Book Hello, Curious Buddies Gund animals, numbers, colors Priddy Trucks Shaker Teether Book Little Builder Children's Board Book Sets with toys Discover Bunny Book Zowie's 123 Disney's Winnie the Pooh A Very Merry Christmas

Dumpty, of course, but I wasn't really asking. Jennifer Griffin takes Mother Goose out of mothballs with a honk and a waddle in her fun-filled nursery rhyme primer for parents, Humpty Who? A Crash Course in 80 Nursery Rhymes for Clueless Moms and Dads. Poems parade in alphabetical order starting with "The Alphabet Song" and ending with "Where is Thumbkin?" Short, personable notes talk about rhyme origins and offer play suggestions.  Humpty Who? is the perfect antidote for those Hmmm... what now? moments of baby's day. A 35-song CD is included. Here's an excerpt: Alice the Camel is a simple, memorable song that takes your little one on a wiggly-jiggly lap ride. Not part of the Old Mother Goose tradition, it's a contemporary number that has quickly become a classic. (Listen to the CD if you don't know the tune.) Camels are fascinating to children for their mysterious water-carrying humps- you'll start seeing them soon in children's book...

How number savvy are children at the start of school? It varies. According to the National Center for Education Statistics most first-time kindergartners can count to ten. Many can identify some single-digit numerals. A few can add and subtract. Much of what children know on that first day of school they know from home. Sooo... make your little one's day count. COUNT OUT LOUD. Kiss 10 tiny toes. One, two socks fit 1, 2 feet. One, two feet fill 1, 2 shoes. A shirt has how many buttons? At snack time, cookies disappear. Palms up. All gone! That's a number! Count wheels on a tricycle, peas in a garden pod, clouds in the sky. Twelve eggs fill a carton. Take away one for pancakes. How many does that leave? Serve up a hot stack. Hey, Mom! Tom got more pancakes than me! 'More' is an amount. Sibling rivalry or simple math? Numbers and counts are everywhere. 1, 2, 3 books teach number concepts. They come in a variety of formats for a variety of ages- board books, pop-ups, ...

Meet two babies extraordinaire, 17-month-old siblings Quincy and Simone. Their mom kindly let me post their YouTube video and answered questions about their reading routine. Cast a researcher's eye as the video plays: The babies are reading Let's Play Peek-a-boo ! by Jane Massey. Simone reaches for a peek-a-boo flap on the front cover. Quincy's eyes follow. This is the first of several moments of joint attention, when reading partners focus on the same word, picture, or page element. This it the sweet spot of read-aloud where learning takes place. Simone holds the book right-side-up and reads from front to back. The babies turn pages- sometimes one at a time- sometimes several at once. Quincy points. Simone plays, diving into the book to kiss a mirror insert on the last page. Peek-a-boo! Together, they vocalize, back and forth, in book conversation. Booooo! Simone and Quincy look at books daily. They attend a library lap-sit program weekly. Favorite books include...