First up- a big announcement! The LittleMamaBee Etsy shop is now open! Currently, I'm just clearing out some of the old Pink Birdie merchandise but keep an eye out in the coming weeks for lots of new stuff! Ok now on to today's post...
I think the one thing that most people can agree on when it comes to parenting, is that reading is important. (All the nitty-gritty details are another issue.) I could spout lots of statistics for you about the importance of reading after being a middle school teacher. But I truly believe that developing a love for reading begins early. We started reading a very short bedtime story to Little Man by the time he was 3 months old. When Baby Storytime started up again at the library in May we started going. Now, Wednesdays are library days. We get there early, check out some books, go to story time, and head home in time for his morning nap.
Finding books for babies isn't easy. Board books are great, but I like to make sure we get a healthy mix of board books and picture books. I had a really hard time finding suggestions for babies (mostly because I imagine most people start with board books or wait all together). The suggestions I did find were short lists (which we quickly exhausted). Also, unlike YA, I feel very out of the loop with picture books. I have no idea who the "good" authors are. Plus illustrations are key with picture books (duh) so books by an author may not look the same if they have different illustrators. It is also hard to separate the book from the pictures so both really have to be taken into account.
When looking for great books for babies I tried to find ones that met some of the following criteria:
-easy to follow story, told with words (books that need the pictures to understand the story and require more interaction I assume will be great in another year or so)
-bold pictures
-diverse (every picture book we read does not need to be about people that look like us)
-teaches something (colors, animals, numbers, shapes, etc.)
-doesn't make me want to pull my hair out
[All of the links in this post are affiliate links (which means I get a tiny commission if you click on them and buy something.) As always, I only represent brands/companies I truly use and love, and I SO appreciate your support!]
So... (drum roll please) here is the first edition in Little Mama Bee's Favorite Picture Books for Babies!
1. Hurry, Hurry! by Eve Bunting
A short repeating story that shows the farm animals gathering for the birth of a chick.
2. Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Shapes, colors, and puns... oh my!
3. Baby Bear, Baby Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle
You are probably familiar with the classic Brown Bear by the same people but this variation is great too with North American woodland animals.
4. Book! by Kristine O'Connell George and illustrated by Maggie Smith
A darling little introduction to handling/reading/using books.
5. Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora
Babies love to play peek-a-boo!
6. Little Bitty Friends by Elizabeth McPike and Patrice Barton
Short lyrical story. Varied races of children in the illustrations. Points out every day things (many that we could find in our neighborhood).
7. Blocks by Irene Dickson
Cute story of sharing. Also focuses on colors. Plus has diverse characters!
8. Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek
Quirky and adorable but not annoying. Great for pointing out relationships (up, down, etc.).
9. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
One of many Bear stories by Karma Wilson. Bear is asleep and many woodland animals gather in his den for a party, which he sleeps through.
10. Jack by Tomie dePaola
In this traditional "Jack" story, Jack makes his way to the king picking up different animals on the way. Great for animals and their sounds.
i will surely ask my husband to get me one of these for my kids. My kids love my current collection of picture books. Thanks for the share :)
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