Thursday, November 12, 2009

My Favorite Board Books











My sister requested that I do a post about some of my favorite board books, the ones I would buy first if I were starting over with my first baby. The first book I think every child needs to have is a copy of Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown. We also love In a Big Red Barn, by the same author. I believe the most important type of book to read to very young children is Nursery Rhymes. There's a lot of research out there saying how important nursery rhymes are for beginning readers, so kids should be familiar with them from the very beginning. It doesn't really matter what versions you choose, but my own personal favorites are by Mary Englebreit and Tomie daPaola. You should also have a couple of counting books. Some of our favorites are Doggies, by Sandra Boynton and One Hungry Monster by Susan O'Keefe. ABC books are also important. Again, it doesn't matter which ones you pick, but in my opinion, Dr. Suess's ABC is a classic. Next, make sure you have several books that have rhyming, sing song text. Sandra Boynton's Snuggle Puppy is wonderful! Several others that are personal favorites are Mrs. Wishy-Washy, by Joy Cowley, Peek-a-WHO? by Nina Laden, and Is Your Mama a Llama, by Steven Kellogg and as many Dr. Suess books as you can get. I beleive it is never too early to read to your kids. I start with mine from the very beginning and I do my absolute best to try and read some with them each day. Reading out loud to young children every day is the very best thing you can do to help them be successful in school. It doesn't matter if it is the very same book every day. In fact, I try to read nursery rhymes to my 5 month old almost every day. I know how hard this is, but our natural instinct is to take the books away from babies and toddlers because they chew on them and we are afraid they might ruin them. That is part of how little ones learn to love books. I'm not saying you should give them your very best, expensive books, but you need to make sure that you have at least 10 or so books that your child can have that you don't care if they chew on or ruin. One of our copies of Goodnight Moon, has no cover and is beaten to death, but we still read that copy regularly, because that is the one my kids love.

4 comments:

Rob Dog said...

Perfect!! Love this post!! Sometimes I have to really remind myself to let Hayden have the books!! I don't like them goopy! :) But I have really tried to loosen up about that! I like this because I forgot about you saying I need to read nursery rhymes! I should get on that!! The next baby shower I have to do I am for sure making them do a book shower! Wish I had listened to on that! you live and you learn right! :)

Rob Dog said...

I meant the next baby shower I give, I would make them have a book shower! just read that first comment and it sounded like I meant the next shower I have for myself and sounded a bit snooty! :)

Heidi said...

Don't worry, I thought you meant the next one you throw.

Amber said...

I also loved this post! I think the first thing I bought when I found out I was pregnant was Good Night Moon and we read it every morning not that Luke pays any attention! This gives me good ideas for Christmas presents!