Baby Shower Kit - First Steps With Books
One of the greatest gifts you can give to a child is the love of reading, and it is never too early to begin. Babies and toddlers love to be read to. They love the special attention, and the stimulation of hearing language and looking at interesting images. Here’s a list, put together by librarian and child reading specialist Jennifer Vaught, to get you started.
The Classics
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin.
Good Night Moon. Margaret Wise Brown.
Pat the Bunny. Edith Kunhardt Davies.
The Runaway Bunny. Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Beatrix Potter.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Eric Carle.
Rhymes and Tunes
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough! Charles R. Smith Jr. *
Babies On the Go. Linda Ashman.
Baby Dance. Ann Taylor. *
Baby Day! Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.
The Foot Book. Dr. Seuss.
Grandmother’s Nursery Rhymes/ Las Nanas de Abuelita. Nelly Palacio Jaramillo. *
i Pio Peep! Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes. Alma Flor Ada. *
Jamberry. Bruce Degen.
My Very First Mother Goose. Iona Opie.
Rock-A-Baby Band. Kate McMullan. *
This Little Chick. John Lawrence.
The Way You Do the Things You Do. Charles R. Smith Jr. *
Baby’s World
Baby’s First Laugh. Peter Thomas. (Navajo/English) *
Baby’s Zoo. Neil Ricklen *
On Mother’s Lap. Ann Herbert Scott. *
The Vision Thing
Black on White. Tana Hoban.
Close Your Eyes. Kate Banks.
I Love Colors. Margaret Miller. *
What Makes a Rainbow. Betty Ann Schwartz, Dona Turner.
White on Black. Tana Hoban.
Zoom City. Thatcher Hurd.
Activity Books (Pop-ups, flaps, feelies and interactives)
Clap Hands. Helen Oxenbury. *
Dear Zoo. Rod Campbell.
Flappy, Waggy, Wiggly. Amanda Leslie.
Peek-a-moo! Marie Torres Cimarusti.
So Big! Dan Yaccarino. *
Ten Little Ladybugs. Melanie Gerth.
Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? Karen Katz.
Who Said Moo? Harriet Ziefert.
Just For Fun
The Baby Goes Beep. Rebecca O’Connell.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Bill Martin.
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. Eileen Christalow.
Hug. Jez Alborough.
I Kissed the Baby. Mary Murphy.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Laura Joffe Numeroff, Felicia Bond.
Moo Baa La La La. Sandra Boynton.
Show Me! Tom Tracy.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Simms Taback.
Bedtime
Good Night, Spot. Eric Hill.
Owl Moon. Jane Yolen, John Schoenherr.
Song of Night. Katie Riley Nakamura.
Time for Bed. Mem Fox.
*Denotes books (or sections) with multicultural themes and/or images.
Web links with recommendations and advice on early childhood reading:
Beginning With Books - Center for Early Literacy
Books for Babies, Books and Music for Toddlers - Multnomah County Library Kids Page
Books to Grow On - Children’s Book Council
Reading CheckUp for Babies & Toddlers – American Academy of Pediatrics
