new posts in all blogs
Viewing Blog: The Baby Book Nook, Most Recent at Top
Results 1 - 25 of 87
It is an informational site for parents and child-care providers about books for babies, toddlers, and twos.
Statistics for The Baby Book Nook
Number of Readers that added this blog to their MyJacketFlap: 1
It's tomato season in Louisiana. Translation: Tomato Sandwich Season! Two slices of white lightly toasted, thick slabs of juicy red goodness, Blue Plate mayo, a sprinkle of salt. Summer HEAVEN.
Does your tot take to tomatoes? Does she beam at the sight of green beans? Does eggplant eggcite him? I thought not.
Board books can help.
In their 2014 article Let's look at Leeks! Picture Books Increase Toddlers' Willingness to Look At, Taste and Consume Unfamiliar Vegetables, UK researchers Philippa Heath, Carmel Houston-Price and Orla B. Kennedy report that sharing books about veggies can affect your child's view of them. Study children were more apt to eye, try and eat more of a vegetable they had read about with their moms, but only if the vegetable was unfamiliar to them at the start. Peas, carrots, squash and sweet potatoes were likely out of the game. The children in the study (made up of two experiments) ranged in age from 19 to 26 months. They were nearly or newly two. This is important because strictly speaking study results apply only to children of that same age. Moms were asked to read selected picture books daily for 14 days. Actual reading amounts and times varied. Findings suggest that books with realistic pictures or photographs produce the strongest effects.
Fresh board picks:
 |
| Eating the Alphabet (1996) by Lois Ehlert |
 |
| My First Colors: Let's Learn Them All! (2010) by DK |
Now for that tomato sandwich. Should I add a slice of cheese?
Give yourself and your baby a present. Time. Apart, together. Quiet time. No ring tones. No sass tones. No Ho! Ho! Ho! Quiet. One on one book time. One on one look time. Sleepy head, head on shoulder time.
Quiet LOUD (2003) by Leslie Patricelli.
There's still time!
I traveled north this past Thanksgiving: 48 auto hours made possible by CD's, audio books, and coffee, no cream, no sugar. A new purchase, the CD You are My Little Bird (2006) by Elizabeth Mitchell, was among the mix. If you need a last minute gift for a baby, or clap happy entertainment for car seat bound little ones, this is it. You are My Little Bird is a compilation of children's folk songs sung in clear soft tones by Mitchell and friends. Most are sung in English, one in Spanish, one in Japanese, one in Korean. A favorite, Little Liza Jane, takes me back to Preservation Hall in New Orleans.Best books for very young babies carry rhythm and rhyme. Songs on paper. Babies, awash in language sounds, face the daunting task of parceling and making sense of these. Playful, beat-driven, musical verse helps.Anthony Seeger, former Director Emeritus of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the CD's producer, writes,Music is a profoundly important part of young children's lives. Infants listen attentively for patterns and sounds and often master the melodies and rhythms of speech before the consonants and the grammar. Listening to infants vocalize, it seems as though humans sing before they talk. Perhaps infant vocalizations, which we call "babbling," would better be name 'musical improvisation."
Visit Mitchell's website or Amazon to view and listen. Happy holidays everyone!
Count My Kisses, 1, 2, 3 and Red, Green, Blue, I Love You, both published in June of this year, were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on September 11, 2013. Check your book stacks. For details, click here.
Dear Dad,
Do you like my hat? This phrase brings back very vivid memories of morning and evening greetings in the Allentown house. Waking up to Go, Dog. Go! [by P.D. Eastman] quotes and eating cinnamon toast with my knees tucked into my oversized, worn out, Eagles t-shirt. That pretty much encapsulates ages five through nine. I know that when you said it you were basically guaranteed a comment and an eye roll about your clearly hatless head, but I hope you know that as an adult, it has become one of my favorite memories of my Dad. I love you and I'm so happy that I got a Dad who quoted talking dogs. Otherwise life could have been boring and who knows if I could be as proud about anybody else.
Love,
Molly
True story. Found note. True dat! True dad.
Go, Dads. Read!
Is your baby learning English and Spanish? Here are 5 bilingual picture books for babies 0 to 5 months of age. Each bathes baby's ears in lyrical language sounds. Each is eye-catching. Tuck away books when baby starts reaching. Take them out again when he or she turns ... five?
I've been on the road.
And on it I stopped by The Strand, a large independent bookstore in NYC. I wanted to look at their board book stock. The 18 miles of aisles were packed with grown-ups and kids and me, plump with batting to walk the windy streets. I barely fit! I shopped with haste. Here is what I found.
The Noisy Book (2012) by Soledad Bravi. It is a near-perfect word learning book for ones and twos. Why near? Research suggests young 1-year-olds may learn best from photographs. The blocks go clackerty clack The pigeon goes coo coo The horn goes toot toot Bravi's page layout--one object or concept per spread--holds constant throughout the 100-plus card stock pages, assuring a single point of view for book talk. A colorful patchwork of thumbnail prints drawn from the book's interior blankets The Noisy Book's first and last pages. These create a wonderful opportunity for point-and-say play and book review.A board edition of The House in the Night (2011) by Susan Marie Swanson and Caldecott Medal winner Beth Krommes caught my eye. The book's gentle cadence and warm glow makes it a perfect bedtime read for baby from day one. Steve Light's brightly illustrated Trains Go (2012) is long on noisy locomotion. Light captures the freight train's clang, the speed train's whoosh, and the steam train's clammer to the letter! Author/illustrator SAMi uses cut-outs and color contrasts to teach the look and feel of a circle, triangle, square, and crescent in Yum! (2013). Ones and twos can relate to his palette/palate of shapely foods. A banana, a carrot, an ice cream cone, a square of cheese, and more. Older twos and threes can digest shape names. Moms and dads, point out simple shapes at mealtime. A width-wise slice of celery? Mmmm. Smile.
By:
Linda McInnis, M.Ed.,
on 1/28/2013
Blog:
The Baby Book Nook
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Doreen Cronin,
Jill McElmurry,
Bob Shea,
Betsy Lewin,
Click,
Alice Schertle,
books for two's and three's,
Clack,
Little Blue Truck,
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime,
Moo Cows That Type,
Add a tag
Here are three picture books that recently got board. The new format makes great reading for almost-threes.
Bob Shea's Dinosaur conquers the day. ROAR! I'M A DINOSAUR! ROAR! NOTHING CAN STOP ME! Playtime, mealtime, and bathtime are KO'd by this likable Roarosaurus. Brilliant pictures add punch. Do you live with a dinosaur? Stomp, stomp, stomp ... ROAR! He'll love this book. P.S. Read red.
Did you know? Young preschoolers rarely look at book print as you read. They look at the pictures. One of your jobs is to point out print. POP! Not ad tedium, offhandedly. You are sowing an association between spoken and written words. Caldecott Honor Book Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type (2010) makes it easy. Words embedded in pictures beg for attention. Play off the page: post notes. Do you have an old typewriter? Even better.Read Little Blue Truck (2009) and POP. Little Blue Truck
came down the road.
"Beep!" said Blue
to a big green toad.
Toad said, "Croak!"
and winked an eye
when Little Blue Truck
went rolling by.
Animal and truck sounds stand out on the printed page. Schertle's text is rhythmical, rhyming, perfect for young ears. Her story is engaging and satisfying. POP a little, ROAR a lot!
I love this book.
Super Chicken! (2013) by Rebecca Purcell has holes for poking (for almost-1-year-olds), bold patterns for gazing (for 0- to 6-month-olds), and pretend play aplenty (for 24- to 36-month-olds).
Take the cover: Super Chicken's goggles are die-cut. Baby pokes. Mom labels, Eyes! Turn the page: Super Chicken's cape has a star cut-out. Baby pokes. Dad labels, Cape! Poke and point. Point and label. Perfect! Holes vary in size and shape throughout, accommodating baby's first finger or fist, depending.
The book is bigger than most boards, a full 8 1/4 by 8 1/4 inches. Pictures are bright and eye-catching.
Pairs of 2-page spreads tell three simple stories about Chicken's day. Purcell writes, Chicken builds a castle out of blocks. Chicken plays. Very basic. Turn the page. Super Chicken rescues a baby dragon! Super Chicken soars high above a castle out of blocks turned medieval mansion to rescue a dragon in distress, a small stuffed animal plucked from the page before.
Pair Super Chicken! with DK's My First Words: Let's Get Talking! by Dawn Sirett and Susan Calver for word learning. The latter offers realistic views of a chicken, fish, zebra, toy blocks, a giraffe, elephant, toy train, dolphin, striped red boots (and more), all of which populate Purcell's pages.
Super Chicken! is a super read-aloud!
Here's a peek at January '13 releases. Is there one you'd like to hear about?
Comment Number 3 was chosen at random from a set of numbers 1 through 11. Congratulations, Donna! Please email me for shipping details.
Thanks, everyone, for entering! Stay tuned for more baby book news!!!
Out with the old, in with the new. To make room for 2013 review books, this year's stack must go! I need your help to find these wonderful new old books a home.
Please nominate a group or agency in need of baby books in the comments section below--a local day care center, a church nursery, a literacy organization, etcetera. I'll choose a winner at random then post two packages--one to you as a thank you, packed with the 5 books pictured in my December 22 blog post, and one to your nominee, packed with the books below:
All Gone!, I Went Walking, Kiki's Blanket, No More Blanket for Lambkin!, What Can I Hear?, Giddy Up, Li'l Buckaroos! and Ahoy, Li'l Buccaneers!, four Noodle books, Peek-a-boo!, Pat the Bunny, Peek-a Who?, Baby Play, I Kissed the Baby!, Kiss Good Night, Chicky Chicky Chook Chook, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Meeow and the Pots and Pans, Mother Goose, One Moose, Twenty Mice, The Apple Pie That Papa Baked, The Enormous Potato, The Gigantic Turnip, Bear Says Thanks, Time to Say "Please"!, Chicken Little, Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin and the Little Turkey Finger Puppet Book.
The official rules: No purchase necessary. Enter via the comments section below. One entry per person or nominating agency. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. The giveaway begins today, December 28, 2012, and runs through 12:00 midnight Pacific Standard Time, Friday, January 4, 2013. Open to residents of the United States age 18 or older at time of entry. Void where prohibited by law. The winner will be announced on January 5, 2013. If the winner forfeits or does not claim the books, all books will be donated to an agency in need as determined by me.
Read in the new year!
Holiday bows. Rudolph's nose. Ho! Ho! Ho!
Babies like the color red. Perhaps, because it is one of the first that they see.
Babies are born with limited color vision. Researchers Adams, Courage, and Mercer (1994) report in their article, "Systemic Measurement of Human Neonatal Color Vision," that 74% of newborns in their study sample were able to see a patch of red set against a neutral hue, 36% were able to see green, 25% yellow, and a scant 14% blue. "At 1 month, performance improved somewhat although infants still showed clear evidence of discriminating only the red patch." In the 2010 article, "Infants' Preferences for Toys, Colors, and Shapes: Sex Differences and Similarities," researchers Jadva, Hines and Golombok found that 12-, 18-, and 24-month-olds "preferred reddish colors to blue." Similarly, researchers Anna Franklin, Laura Bevis, Yazhu Ling, and Anya Hurlbert found that 4- and 5-month-olds looked longest at reddish hues.
Read a little red.
 |
| Tur(key)- |
 |
| duck- |
 |
| (chick)en, too! |
 |
| Pass the dressing, PLEASE! |
 |
| Thank you! |
 |
| Turnips, |
 |
| Taters, by the bowl, |
Where's the green bean casserole?
 |
| Apple pie and |
 |
| Pumpkin mousse, |
 |
| Quiet time with Mother Goose. |
Sleepy, sleepy, everyone.
Too much turkey!
Too much fun!
 |
| WAKE up! |
(Cooks, go back to sleep.)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Preterm babies can hear. They react to sound, with movement, as early as 20 weeks gestational age (GA). At about 33 weeks, or midway through the third trimester, a shift from simple hearing to listening takes place. Though language sounds are muffled, the melodic highs and lows of conversational speech are not. Just-born babies recognize their mama's voice.
Research Bites
The intrauterine environment presents a rich array of sensory stimuli to which the fetus responds. The maternal voice is perhaps the most salient of all auditory stimuli.*
[For some reason, I always forget what salient means, so I looked it up, again. It means most noticeable or important.]Several studies support the hypothesis that the critical/sensitive period of phonology [the study of speech sounds] is from the 6th month of fetal life [!!!] through the 12th month of infancy.**
Researcher Anthony DeCasper asked 17 women to read aloud to their burgeoning bellies. They recited a short children's rhyme three times daily for one month. The babies were 33 weeks GA at the start of the experiment. At 37 weeks GA, rhyme familiarity was assessed. Researchers played recordings of the practice rhyme and a control rhyme, both recorded by a female research assistant. Fetal heart rates slowed to the practice rhyme. This study shows that prenatal exposure to the "mother's tongue" can enhance fetal reactions to linguistically important speech sounds and, thus, could promote language-relevant perceptual tuning before birth.***
Preterm babies eavesdrop.
So, why read? Why not just talk?
Some of us run out of things to say: Books put words in your mouth.
Read to practice reading. For those who love an audience, you have one. For those on the shy side, the room appears empty, so have a go. Exercise your voice range. Papa Bear. Mama Bear. Baby Bear. (What was Goldilocks thinking?) Visit Mem Fox's website for read-aloud tips.
Read for the fun of it.
Need book ideas? Ask a librarian. Revisit your childhood favorites. Try one of these playful reads in hardcover: Dr. Seuss, Mother Goose, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, Chicky Chicky Chook Chook by Cathy MacLennan, or Kiss Good Night by Amy Hest.*Hepper, P. G., Scott, D., & Shahidullah, S. (1993). Newborn and fetal response to maternal voice. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 11, 3, 147-153.
**Ruben, R.J. (1997). A time frame of critical/sensitive periods of language development. Acta Otolaryngol, 117, 202-205.
***DeCasper, A. J., Lecanuet, J.-P., Busnel, M.-P., Granier-Deferre, C., & Maugeais, R. (1994). Fetal reactions to recurrent maternal speech. Infant Behavior and Development, 17, 159-164.
This 16-page board book is FULL OF FUN. A kiss. A quack. A tickle. Bold black on white and white on black images catch the eye: A fish, two birds, a frog, an ant, a mayfly (A mayfly?), a mouse, a mama duck and yellow duckling. One per page till baby duck takes center stage. An exuberant, conversational text introduces first words--nouns, verbs
and adjectives--for learning.
"I fed the baby! Did you feed the baby?"
Yes! I fed the baby. What a hungry little one!"
"I sang to the baby! Did you sing to the baby?"
"Yes! I sang to the baby, and baby sang to me."
Very young babies tune into
I Kissed the Baby!'s conversational rhythms. Eyes light on bright pages. Almost-ones quack with a little coaching. They point. You label. Nearly-twos name shapes and join in on book talk,
Yes! Babies of all ages get kissed.
Ppfffwah!
 |
| Baby Play (2012) |
Play is work for babies. It's their job and they are expert. Babies advance through play. Unsalaried? Yes, but think of the perks. Deep tub fishing. Backyard birding. DOUGHNUTS! So what if they are plastic and stackable.
A camera catches baby at play (and as the day wears on, baby
all played out) in
Baby Play, a wonderful debut board book by Canadian authors Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones.
Baby Play is the first in a new series by Nimbus Publishing called Baby Steps.
Here's a peek.
Baby, baby
strolling along
What's that you hear?
A chickadee song?
Chick-a-dee-dee all day long
We LOVE strolling along!
On the left, a small plush toy bird. Where did the photographer find a chickadee? On the right, a happy baby on a walk with his mom, plush toy at hand, eyes to the sky.
Baby Play stages off the page points, peeks, and boos, smiles and cuddles, yawns and sweet sleep. Parent perks. Visit the publisher's
website to read page specific developmental play notes. You can also preview the book series.
This is my favorite out-of-print board book. Hands down. If you act fast you can purchase a new (old) copy from Amazon.com for $2,095.01. That's right. A steal! Maybe I should put my copy in a safe, but then I'd have to buy the safe.
Max's one word was BANG!
No, Max, said his sister, Ruby. Say CUP.
BANG, said Max.
Ruby wants to expand toddling Max's vocabulary. She points out and labels a cup, a pot, a broom, a fish, an
EGG EGG EGG EGG, a chair, and an apple. Max goes with what he knows.
BANG, he replies to each new word request. He takes a bite of the apple. Ruby urges,
YUM YUM, Max. Say YUM YUM. Delicious! said Max. Clearly, Max knows more than he says.
Rosemary Wells captures the voice and attitude of very young children perfectly. This is perhaps not surprising as Max and Ruby were drawn from her children in real time. Wonderful illustrations and book dialogue aside, I love how Max reminds us that every child operates on his or her own speech time table.
Max's First Word was first published in 1979, and re-released in 1998 and 2004 with new illustrations.
Look for used out-of-print books at libraries, yard sales, community book swaps, and online booksellers such as Alibris, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. For example, today, used copies of
Max's First Word in fair and good condition are on sale at Alibris for 99 cents.
What was your baby's first word?
WHO?
You and Baby
WHAT?
WHEN?
Morning, noon, or night when baby is quiet and alert, not hungry, tired, or wet
WHERE?
A quiet place
WHY?
Read-aloud is fun and fosters a relationship between you and baby, and baby and books.
How long?
Likely you'll read in micro spurts. Consider closing the book if baby fusses, stiffens, looks away, starts hiccuping, or shuts her eyes. These can be signs of over-stimulation.
By:
Linda McInnis, M.Ed.,
on 3/12/2012
Blog:
The Baby Book Nook
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
books for babies and toddlers,
Janet and Allan Ahlberg,
Nina Laden,
books for two's and three's,
Dorothy Kunhardt,
Pat the Bunny,
object permanence,
Peek-a Who?,
Add a tag
Peek-a-boo games teach object permanence. Peek-a-boo books cue peek-a-boo play. They make great reading for babies.
What is object permanence?
It is the rabbit in the hat, out of sight but still on stage. It is knowing that people and things continue to BE after we (or they) leave the room and we can no longer see, hear, or touch them. Imagine a cement truck pouring a foundation for cognitive skills development. Object permanence is in the mix. Once poured and set, babies think about people and things differently. Labels and attributes stick. A sense of security builds. Expectations and attachments form. According to developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, object permanence emerges at about nine months of age and matures by about two years of age.
Many books designed for babies, toddlers, and twos support peek-a-boo play. My favorite,
Peek-a WHO? (2000) by Nina Laden, has fist-sized, peanut-shaped holes to peek through. The die-cut cover offers a visual clue and a question,
Peek-a WHO? Turn the page. An owl, that's who! Baby can peek at a cow (
Peek a MOO!), a ghost (
Peek a BOO!), a zoo, a train (
Peek a CHOO-CHOO!), and a mirror.
Peek a YOU! Parent or child can hold the book up to their eyes, look through an opening, and mimic book play. Boo!
Pat the Bunny (1940) by Dorothy Kunhardt offers two pages of peek-a-boo fun:
Judy can play peek-a-boo with Paul. Now YOU play peek-a-boo with Paul. Paul's hiding under a blue fabric flap.
PEEK-A-BOO! (1997) by Janet and Allan Ahlberg has a more detailed text and illustrated page, making it perfect for almost-twos. A circle cut-out, centered between pairs of 2-page spreads, frames a curious baby on the left and a busy scene from baby's day on the right. It starts out,
0 Comments on Rabbit Tricks as of 1/1/1900
By:
Linda McInnis, M.Ed.,
on 3/5/2012
Blog:
The Baby Book Nook
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
books for two's and three's,
touch and feel books,
Marion Billet,
Noodle Loves to Eat,
Noodle Loves the Beach,
Noodle Loves Bedtime,
Noodle Loves to Cuddle,
books for babies and toddlers,
Add a tag
I love pasta. French children's book writer Marion Billet serves up a plateful: Noodle Loves Bedtime (2011), Noodle Loves to Cuddle (2011), Noodle Loves the Beach (2012), and Noodle Loves to Eat (2012). The latter two come available mid-March. Two additional titles, Noodle Loves the Farm and Noodle Loves to Drive, are in the works.
Each cover has an insert.
Each book holds five two-page spreads.
Each spread has a flap to peek under or a texture to touch.
Each last page has a mirror insert and a line just for baby: And just like Noodle, you love to sleep! or cuddle or eat or just like Noodle, you love the beach!
Billet's illustrations are bright and cheery. She draws a wide-eyed panda who loves EVERYTHING.
Noodle loves bread. Noodle loves cheese.
Noodle loves pasta, and Noodle loves peas.
I love the flaps and inserts. Bravo Billet and publisher Nosy Crow! Spongy white bread. Smooth cheese-
One of my favorite books,
Moo, Baa, LA LA LA!, was recently released as an app. Taking on an app for a review means taking on the topic of ebooks for babies. eEek. But I must, if for no other reason than to get the sand out of my eyes.
First,
My bias:
Board book or bust.
Babies are natural scientists who form attachments. You can't test gravity with an ebook without weighty consequences. You can't tease out its compression strength with a good bang or bite. You can't hug an ebook. You can pat one, GENTLY. You can' t take an ebook to bed.
I downloaded Boynton's app, tapped the screen, and fell in love.
Her e-animals moove, bleat, and multiply. QUACK! says the duck. A horse says NEIGH. Tap the duck. He quacks! A second duck appears. Tap. QUACK! A third duck, and so on until you're just shy of a dozen Peking dinners. Tap the eleventh and a baby duck shoots across the screen to the horse on right. Tap. A baby quack sends mane and tail flying. Riveting! Why do I find that worrisome?
There is a musical score: You control the volume. You can choose to read the text independently or have a "big guy" read it for you. He starts with the book cover. As he reads, each word brightens, calling attention to book print. If you read on your own, you can tap into single word or single sentence pronunciations. These are wonderful features for pre- and new readers.
The book app costs $1.99, $2.99, or $3.99 depending on purchase source and electronic platform. A new board copy costs $5.99.
A stack of ebooks is mobile. Imagine toting a library in your diaper bag.
But wait!
Babies, 0 to 2, partner up, play, and learn in the rebound zone. They throw, catch your reaction, and throw again. A board book is stiff, but resounding. Fun bounces.
A board book is static, but a baby is not. No two reads are alike. Each is tailored to the changing mood and abilities of the baby that day. Parents supply sound effects. Raspberry kisses. Toe tickles. And fanfare. The child, not the book, is center stage.
0 Comments on MOOve Over--There's a New Cow in Town as of 1/1/1900
One of my favorite books,
MOO, BAA, LA LA LA!, was recently released as an app. Taking on an app for review means taking on the topic of ebooks for babies. eEek. But I must, if for no other reason than to get the sand out of my eyes.
First,
My bias:
Board book or bust.
Babies are natural scientists who form attachments. You can't test gravity with an ebook without weighty consequences. Or tease out its compression strength with a good bang or a bite. You can't hug an ebook. You can pat an ebook, GENTLY. You can't take an ebook to bed.
I downloaded Boynton's app, tapped the screen, and fell in love.
Her e-animals moove, bleat, and multiply. QUACK! says the duck. A horse says NEIGH. Tap the duck. He quacks. A second duck appears. Tap. QUACK! A third duck appears, and so on till you're just shy of a dozen. Tap Mr. Eleven. QUACK! A baby duck shoots across the page to the horse on right. Tap. Quack! A mighty wind sends mane and tail flying. Riveting. Why do I find that worrisome?
There is a musical score: You control the volume. You can choose to read independently or have a "big guy" narrate. He starts with the title page. As he reads, each word brightens, calling attention to book print. If you've chosen to read on your own, you can tap into the big guy for single word or sentence pronunciations. All wonderful features for pre- and new readers.Boynton's book app costs between $1.99 and $3.99 depending on your platform; a new copy of the board book, $5.99.A stack of ebooks is mobile. Imagine having a library in your diaper bag for wait times.Babies, 0 to 2, partner and play in the rebound zone. They throw, catch your reaction, and throw again. A board book is stiff, but resounding. Fun bounces off of it.A board book is static, a baby is not: No two reads are alike. Each is tailored to the changing mood and abilities of the child. Parents supply an infinite variety of sound effects, raspberry kisses, and toe tickles. Plus the fanfare. Baby, not the book, is center stage.
The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics)
0 Comments on MOOve Over--There's a New Cow In Town as of 1/1/1900
If I find myself grinning as I flip through thick board pages, I know a book has a chance with little ones. So it goes with GIDDY UP, Li'l Buckaroos! (2011) and AHOY, Li'l Buccaneers! (2011), a pair of first books by Mark Iacolina.
The two are very much alike. The story lines are simple, energetic, and sleepy-eyed at the end. Each reads with a playful swagger. Vivid primary colors and pen-outlined figures and shapes draw eyes to the page. Iacolina writes in rhyme, which is music to babies' ears. He sticks to his meter, which is music to mine. Each stanza, illustrated across several pages, begins with short labeling and noun-verb action phrases and ends with a longer, more complex sentence, mirroring children's spoken language development. Ones, twos and young threes can connect. GIDDY UP, Li'l Buckaroos and AHOY Li'l Buccaneer are toddling picture books. Both have the language and design elements of a point-and-label board book. Both carry a story--chapters in verse--about a busy day of pretend play. GIDDY UP, Li'l Buckaroos! starts like this, Buckaroo's hat. Buckaroo's boots. Buckaroo's popper twirls and shoots. Buckaroos ride. Buckaroos wrangle. Buckaroo's spurs go jingle jangle.
AHOY, Li'l Buccaneers! ends ...
Buccaneers sing. Buccaneers spar. Buccaneers laugh with a hardy har-har! Buccaneers share. Buccaneer's friends. Buccaneers rest when the swashbucklin' ends.
Iacolina's li'l guy has so much fun, I'm tempted to dash out to my recycling bin with a pair of scissors, reclaim a cardboard box for a sword, and start sparring with my desk-top chicken!Publisher: Sterling Children's Books
Length: 16 pages
Size: 7 by 5 inches
Format: Board
AGES AND STAGES: 18-21 months baby imitates 2-word phrases; 24-27 months understands complex and compound sentences; 24-30 months engages in simple make-believe play; 30-36 months participates in s
Jen Robinson writes at Jen Robinson's Book Page, a wonderful online blog about children's books and read-aloud. Check it out. She kindly agreed to answer questions about her almost-two year old's experiences with books. Thank you Jen!!! How old was your daughter when you first started reading to her?
We started reading to her in the womb. I would read to her during the daytime, and my husband would read to her before we went to sleep. Because she was born 10 weeks early, we didn’t have any books with us when we went to the hospital. It took us a day or so to start reading to her there. Her first book out in the world was Judith Kerr’s One Night in the Zoo. Her first chapter book, which I started reading to her in the NICU, was The Secret Garden.
During those first few months, how did your baby signal that reading time was over?
She would just get restless, or look away. When she was very small she couldn’t signal much at all. However, even when she was very small, it was clear that she found hearing us read to be calming. We would often not stop until she fell asleep.
You noted on your blog that when your daughter was six months old she liked the cloth book Who Do You See? Do you recall any other cloth book favorites? Does she show an interest in cloth books now?
She adored Begin Smart Animal Faces (which comes with an attached animal rattle). It was literally the first thing that she ever reached for. She occasionally still plays with that one, and with Who Do You See. But she sees them more as comfort items than as books.
Can you recall a funny read-aloud moment that you'd like to share?
The other day I was reading <
View Next 25 Posts
I remember the Strand from the days when I lived in NYC. Many moons ago... I love The House in the Night. It's amazing how many picture books end up as board books.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I should know better than to reply to a comment this early in the morning! Spelling errors!!! I wanted to thank you for posting about Sandy Relief and Kate Messner's Kid-Lit Cares, last November, at My Brain on Books. I would not have known about it, otherwise.
You're welcome, Linda! That was such a wonderful way to raise money for Sandy relief.