Hi, my name is Hayley, and I am a book junkie. I buy them used, I buy them new and my house is bursting with books of every kind. I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t a voracious reader and when I found out I was pregnant one of my first thoughts was, “Please let this little one love to read — if they don’t what will we talk about??” I credit this obsession mostly to my mom, who started reading to me when I was just a few days old (possibly before we even left the hospital) and to my dad who once told me he would never say no to buying a book for me . . . a statement I’m sure he regretted after a few costly trips to Barnes and Noble.
You’ve heard it before, “a reader is made, not born.” Honestly, I’m not sure I completely buy that theory – I think it’s a nature and nurture situation. Some people have a natural affinity for running, hitting balls, and sweating, and some of us can pick up a book and the rest of the world magically melts away, you know? Whether you believe the love of reading is instinctual or taught, it’s important to start reading to your children from infancy. Studies show that reading to them from this early age greatly expands their vocabulary, critical thinking skills, future academic excellence, and as an added bonus, strengthens their bond with you. It might stick or it might not. Your kid could start out adoring her books, but then transition into the sweating, running species that groans at the sight of a summer reading list. At least you tried, right? She will still benefit immensely from your early reading time together, and, hey, your bank account won’t be crippled by charges from Amazon and Half Price Books (sorry Mom and Dad . . . and Husband).
The question now is which books should you read to them? The most important thing is to choose books that you can both enjoy. If you can’t keep your eyes from rolling at a certain storyline or the pictures freak you out, choose another book.
My little bibliophile is nearly one, so I thought I would share a few books that got us through our first year together. I’ve read these a million times (notice some of their tattered covers) and recently she’s started bringing them to me to read; I melt with happiness when this occurs. I hope some of you can build a baby library based on these suggestions; I firmly believe no nursery should be without one!
Birth to 3 Months
The Peek a Who series (Nina Laden) is perfect for infants this young. The pages are bold, the prose short and sweet and it starts early training for a toddler’s all-time favorite game, peek a BOO! On the Night You Were Born (Nancy Tillman) isn’t an obvious choice for newborns because of its lengthy wording, but my daughter loved the cadence of it (it helps if you almost sing the words like a song) and she was entranced by the beautiful, colorful pictures. Bonus – this is a book mommy will love as well.
4 to 7 Months
Guess Who! (Disney) was an instant hit in our house. Babies this age will squeal over the mirrors on every page and it starts introducing them to other parts of the world early on. Bizzy Bear, Off We Go! (Bizzy Bear Series, Benji Davies) is also a favorite around here. Boys and girls both will get a kick out of the moving parts and the wording is fun and catchy. Ruby & Molly and Noah & Dexter (Annelien Wehrmeijer) are both part of the My Best Friend and Me series. These books come with a built-in finger puppet – enough said.
8 to 12 Months
Even if your kid hates peas, they will love LMNO Peas and 123 Peas (Keith Baker). They’re funny, peppy and full of cute pictures. Also, it’s important to start letter and number education in your reading at this stage (if you haven’t already) and these books start you off on the right foot. Hello, Texas (Christopher Jennings) is fantastic. It’s the perfect way to plant the seed of Texas pride in your little one and as a bonus, it’s part of a larger Hello, America series that includes other states so that you can introduce them to more of our great nation.
Happy reading!
Retired school librarian, mother of 3 and grandmother of 3 here. Have you read the Jim Trelease Read Aloud Handbook? A life-saver before I went to library school to help me find good literature to read to my kids. http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/