Reading to Baby
Read to a newborn baby? YES! It may seem too early, but reading to an infant is the beginning of a lifetime of that child loving books. A baby doesn’t understand the words you read, but he or she feels safe in your loving arms, hearing the familiar sound of your voice and receiving your undivided attention.
Read anything! In the earliest days of infancy, you can read anything to your baby. The sound of your voice is what is important, not the content of what you are reading. Of course, if baby isn’t in the mood to listen and is fussy, try again later.
Your baby’s growing awareness. Once a baby is more aware of what is around him and can hold objects, he’s ready for children’s books that relate to his world and introduce words and concepts in a fun way.
Books to chew on. Baby is exploring her surroundings by putting everything in her mouth, so board books are a great type of book to begin a home library. Board books are made of sturdy cardboard so a baby can’t rip the pages and can even chew on them without too much damage!
How to choose a book. Look for books that have lots of rhythm and rhyme and pictures that show recognizable objects and faces of people. You’ll want to avoid board books with too much text or ones where the pictures are too small. This happens when a larger format book for older children is printed into a board book.
Keep it fun! When reading to your baby, you may not want to read all the words in the book, or even look at all the pages. Looking at the pictures, asking questions or pointing things out is another way to share books with your child. Most important is to enjoy your time together!
Board Books for Baby
Books with Rhyming and Word Play
- Tomie’s Little Mother Goose by Tomie dePaola
- Itsy, Bitsy Spider by Annie Kubler
- My First Signs by Annie Kubler
- Cow Moo Me by Stephen Losordo
- Baby Beluga by Raffi
- Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw
- Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
Books with Movement
- Tumble Bumble by Felicia Bond
- From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
- Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
- Baby Dance by Ann Taylor
Books that Say Good Night
- Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
- The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
- Snoozers by Sandra Boynton
- Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
- Time for Bed by Mem Fox
- Say Goodnight by Helen Oxenbury
Books that Say I Love You
- Hug by Jez Alborough
- Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joose
- Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
- Papa, Papa and Mama, Mama by Jean Marzollo
- Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam McBratney
- I Love You, Sun, I Love You, Moon by Karen Pandell
- More, More, More, Said the Baby by Vera Williams
Books with Faces of People
- Baby’s World Out and About, a DK Book
- Baby Faces, a DK book
- Peek-a-Boo by Roberta Grobel Intrater
- Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler
- Maybe My Baby by Irene O’Book
- I Can and All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury
- Shades of Black by Sandra Pinkney
Books with Things to Find or to Guess What’s Next
- Little Cloud by Eric Carle
- Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle
- Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom
- Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino
- The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
- I Spy Little Animals by Jean Marzollo
- We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
- Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri
- Silly Little Goose by Nancy Tafuri
- I Went Walking by Sue Williams
Books that Make Learning Fun
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Freight Train by Donald Crews
- Color Farm by Lois Ehlert
- Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
- Count! by Denise Fleming
- Spot Counts from One to Ten by Eric Hill
- Spots Favorite Words by Eric Hill
- Miss Spider’s Tea Party Counting Book by David Kirk
- Chicka Chicka ABC by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
- Shapes Galore, Snapshot Tabulated Board Books
- Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Books about Baby’s World and Other Stories
- Moonbear’s Canoe by Frank Asch
- I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton
- Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
- Good Dog Carl by Alexandra Day
- All About Baby, a DK book
- Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes by Judy Hindley
- Good Morning, Baby by Cheryl Willis Hudson and George Ford
- The Little Fire Engine by Lois Lenski
- I Like It When by Mary Murphy
- My Big Truck Book by Roger Priddy
- My Little Animal Book by Roger Priddy
- Giant Machines, Snapshot Board Book
- Max’s New Suit by Rosemary Wells
Books for Grown-Ups about Reading Aloud
- Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox
- Great Books for Babies and Toddlers: More Than 500 Recommended Books for Your Child’s First Three Years by Kathleen Odean
- Reading with Babies, Toddlers and Twos: A Guide to Choosing and Loving Books Together by Susan Straub and KJ Dell’Antonia
- The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
