Books for Babies
I always buy books for babies, even before they are born. The thing about books is that they are perfect for every gift-giving occasion including baby showers, 1st birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah. Heck, even Kwanzaa makes an exception to the no-gift-buying rule and lets you buy books for children.
Over the years I have honed the list of books I give to babies so that it is a balance of the teacher in me who knows how to build early literacy skills and the mama in me who loves to snuggle up and read to my little ones.
(Some of) My Favorite Books for Babies and Why I Love Them
The Snowy Day
A story about joy told in simple, powerful text with gorgeous illustrations.
Lola at the Library
A perfect snapshot of everyday life. Lola and her mother are my daughter and I when my daughter was 2.
Kiss Good Night
A bedtime ritual at its most magical. Plus, the illustration of the rainstorm halfway through is worth the price of admission.
I love My Hair
I’ve used this book to teach similes and metaphors to 4th graders, but my babies were equally enthralled by the beauty and the rhythm of the language in this book.
Whose Knees Are These?
Rhyming story that gets stuck in your head (in a good way) and teaches body parts. The companion book, Whose Toes Are Those?, is equally good.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
This book is the reason everyone thought by baby was some kind of reading savant. The letters were characters she knew them all by name.
Animals
There are lots of animal books, but I go back to this one most often because of the simple text and real photo illustrations. This seems to be the one that babies choose over and over again.
Ten, Nine, Eight
This books has such a good bedtime beat that I think it gives Goodnight Moon a run for its money. Plus, getting a dose of number sense in a beautifully illustrated book never hurt anyone.
Knuffle Bunny
Because the struggle is real.
Guess How Much I Love You
Every child should have someone tell them, “I love you right up to the moon… and back.” Even if it’s just in a story book.
All the books on this list and several more are on this shopping list. This is my actual shopping list, so it changes from time to time. You can order them from Amazon or do what I do-- take the list to your favorite local bookstore.
