Itty Bitty: Current Favorites and a Call for Other Parents of Infant “Readers”

Baby (who is now almost 15 months, and really a Toddler), has, in the last two weeks, suddenly developed an interest in the board books stashed in our living room. Preschooler developed an interest around that age, too, but she would sit by the box and look at the books herself. He selects one of his favorites and then carries it across the room to whatever adult lap is available, plops himself down, and pushes the book into your hands.

The “read this to me” message comes across loud and clear.

So stinkin’ cute.

If you asked him what his favorites were this week (and if he were able to tell you), here’s what you’d get:

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes… illustrated by Annie Kubler

The text is exactly what you’d expect, no surprises. But Baby particularly likes looking at all the faces in this book. Check out the cover. How cute is it that baby’s little stuffed friends are acting out the song? This happens within the pages of the book as well. Nice little detail that I didn’t notice until recently, and we’ve had this book since Preschooler was a baby.

Full disclosure: We usually start by reading a page or two of this book, but then Baby pushes the book aside and grabs both my hands to his head, which is my cue to start singing and hand-motioning.

Mommy Hugs by Karen Katz

If you’ve been reading here for more than a month, you’ll not be surprised to see this book. You’ll find Karen Katz here alot. Once again, Baby is drawn to the faces, and I like the sweetness and simplicity of her stories. This one is a counting book (1-10). The text covers an entire day of hugs, from “one nuzzle-wuzzle wake-up hug” to “ten I love you, I love you, I love you…. good-night hugs.” Preschooler, who long since has learned her numbers, likes to help read this one with us because while she can’t yet read the words on the page, she CAN read the numbers. This type of interaction is helpful when I’m trying to give one-on-one attention to the younger child, while the older one wrestles with sibling (and lap space) jealousy.

That’s it for today, but on Monday I’ll be sharing my thoughts/experiences/tips on reading with infants for Share-A-Story. If you have an infant in your home and would like to participate and share your own thoughts/stories/pictures, email me (the button is on the right)! I’d love to link up with you!