Numerous are the studies that prove that reading to a child increases intelligence, verbal skills, creativity, but there are other things that reading can do. It bonds and deepens family relationships. It is a special way to share, a way that allows you to escape tensions of the day and discover wonderful people and places and things without ever leaving your reading chair. Birth is the perfect time to begin to establish a reading habit in your home.
One of the strongest proofs for a baby's natural inclination to rhyme and rhythm is that babies have been lulled, bounced, coddled and loved with Mother Goose Rhymes for generations. Mother Goose has a rhyme for every occasion. A baby can be rocked to "Bye-baby bunting" or dressed to "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe". A great way to change the mood after a tumble is with a lively reading of "Jack and Jill."
You will be amazed at how many of the sounds you find in Mother Goose are sounds that your baby makes and will respond to. There are a multitude of choruses that remind me ever so much of the way my children used to sing themselves to sleep when they were babies.
It is every illustrator's dream to design a Mother Goose book and so there exist some rather marvelous versions. A Mother Goose book is best chosen by personal criteria. Many illustrators whose works I respect have done beautiful Mother Goose books. Michael Hague (Holt, $12.95), Allen Atkinson (Knopf, $13.95), Tomie De Paola (Putnam, $17.95), and Tasha Tudor(McKay,$9.95), are a few of my favorites. It is sometimes nice to invest in a second more portable board or paperback book such as Mother Goose by Gyo Fujikawa ( Grosset & Dunlap, $7.95) or Brian Wildsmith's Mother Goose (Oxford, $7.95). These can be of great help while traveling or waiting for food in restaurants.
Several years ago Father Gander Nursery Rhymes appeared. (Advocacy Press, $12.95) This pleased many people who were upset by the sexism and violence of the traditional Mother Goose rhymes. In this volume, Jill is as nimble as Jack and "all of the horses, the women and men/ Put Humpty Dumpty together again." The illustrations are bright, colorful and carefully-detailed. This is not a book for one who is a traditional Mother Goose lover, but there is strong effort given to staying true to rhyme schemes and rhythms . Available in hardcover only. Ages newborn and up.
Babies love all kinds of rhyme books. One of my children's favorites is Moses Supposes His Toeses are Roses. This book is filled with silly rhymes which delight. The accent is on sound rather than sense which works to develop an ear that loves poetry and the sounds of language forever. Ages newborn and up. Available hardcover only. (Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, $12.95)
There is something very special about sharing a rhyme you loved as a child. I grew up reciting Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat which is rich in repition and has lovely sounds. I read it to my son as a baby, he began to repeat with me as a toddler and now we sometimes say great chunks of the poem together. There are several beautiful new versions of this classic poem. I particularly like the versions by Janet Stevens (Holiday House, $12.95), Paul Galdone (Tecknor and Fields, $13.95) and Lorinda B. Cauley (Putnam, $12.95, $4.95)
A close cousin of rhyme books are song books. On one page of Ten in a Bed by Mary Reese we see ten kids of all different ages, races and humors in a bed. On the opposing page we see what happens to them when they "roll over and fall out". The illustrations are filled with humor and a very singable text for this much loved song. (Little Brown, $12.95)
One of my favorite songbooks for the very young is Pam Adams, There Was an Old Lady. The text is full of ridiculous words for a young child, a toddler will love filling in the animal names and a baby will enjoy the bright colors of a book that is cut out with circles for little fingers to explore. Ages Newborn-4. (Child's Play,$5.95) .
Jim Kennedy has illustrated a splendid version of The Teddy Bear's Picnic. His costuming of the bears and picnic joys are matched only by the record enclosed with the book. It's sung by Bing Crosby! Ages Newborn-3. Hardcover only. (Greentiger Press, $14.95)
There are many books that invite a baby to participate in the telling. Perhaps the most well-known and enduring is Dorothy Kunhardt 's Pat the Bunny (Golden, $4.95). First published in 1942 , it is still a first and favorite book for many babies. This book allows a young child to see, smell and feel the storybook world of Paul and Judy who experience many of the simple pleasures most babies do. Mommy and Daddy are barely present, but one senses the warmth of family as a backdrop to all the fun in the foreground. Ages 6mo.- 2years
Eric Hill's Where's Spot? follows Sally, the dog in a search for her pup. The book is structured with peek-a-boo surprises that enchant a child. Illustrations are bright and bold. The "NO" of each hidden animal provides a departure point for the reader's dramatization and baby's resulting enjoyment. This negative response is adored by toddlers who find a book filled with their favorite word. A beginning reader will still be drawn to the color and play of Spot and will not be threatened by the few and simple words per page. There are many Spot books, but my favorite sequel is Spot's First Birthday which shows the same characters once again hiding for a surprise party. Ages 6 months-6 years. (Putnam, $10.95)
Babies are the greatest audience in the world. The more an adult hams up a book the more a baby will appreciate it. There are a great many books that enhance a parent's ability to act and entertain. These are books that bring alive a special sharing that build relationship, fun and pleasure.
Noise books such as Nancy Tafuri's Early Morning in the Barn are filled with animal sounds (which seem to be of particular interest to a baby). Tafuri's illustrations are colorful and simple and the backgrounds are clear. In Early Morning in the Barn, a baby chick is separated from its mother and goes on a barnyard adventure. A baby might appreciate only the animals' noises to begin with, but will fast grow into making the noises, then identifying the animals and finally into the wordless story revealed by Tafuri's illustrations. Ages 6 months to 3 years. Available in paperback and hardcover. (Greenwillow, $11.75; Penguin,$3.95)
Alphabet and counting books are baby books, too! There are numbers of both that provide a basis for pointing, identifying and conversation. Animal Alphabet by Bert Kitchen has a bold graphic style that mingles animals with the letters that begin their names. Some of the animals are more easily identified than others, but all are presented on white backgrounds that highlight the foregrounds and invite sounds, naming and talking. Ages 6months- 3 years. Available in hardcover and paperback. (Dial, $4.95, $12.95)
Anno's Counting Book begins with a barren winter countryside that is a perfect representing of zero. The landscape grows considerably until it reaches twelve. And speaking of growing, never have I seen a book so dramatically register my child's changes of perceptions as he grew. We pointed and talked about objects when my son was under one. At two, he was struck by the seasons. At three, he was enchanted by the number quality, but had problems counting across pages. By four he began to notice details. He found a challenge in it at every age. Available hardcover and paperback. (Harper and Row,$13.95, $4.95)
When children begin to eat, they are a little sloppy. When they begin to read, they might be a little sloppy as well. As we watched my daughter teethe on board books we would often remark upon her fine taste in books. Board books provide an affordable answer to parents who want their children to be able to directly manipulate books. The books generally have thick pages that facilitate page turning for fingers unused to pages. They are often coated to protect against the wear and tear of active baby life.
One of the first board books my son loved, was actually a spiral book called The Baby's Book of Babies. Author Sabrina Withall bought every book in the world for her baby and all the child wanted to do was to stare at the babies on the diaper bags. So, wisely, she put together a series of photographs of baby faces of all races, colors and temperaments. The black and white photographed book sits up easily and may be the first thing that your child will want to crawl to. (Harper and Row, $4.95)
Fiona Pragoff has assembled a similar series, but her illustrations are brightly-colored photographs in her four book series; Alphabet; Growing; How Many? and What Color?. The bold illustrations will capture a baby's interest and give plenty of growing room and discussion points. (Doubleday, $4.95)
Moira Kemp has paired activity and song with cuddly illustrations in her three board books, Round and Round the Garden; I'm a Little Teapot; and Knock at the Door . (Price, Stern, Sloan, $5.95)
Janet Martin's Ten Little Babies series are illustrated with photographs by Michael Watson that show babies eating, counting, dressing and playing. The babies are captured in familiar poses and relationships. These are fun books to sing to the tune of "Ten Little Indians". (ST. Martin's Press, $3.95)
Sandra Boynton board books embody things that babies like best--counting, animal noises, body labeling, etc. And there is humor and rhymes and rhythms that make these books that parents will enjoy sharing. Two of my favorite titles are: Moo, Baa, LaLaLa and Doggies . (Simon and Schuster, )
Debby Slier's Cuddle Books tell us first What do Babies Do? and follow this with a toddler sequel, What do Toddlers Do. Both present typical situations and babies of different races and moods. (Random House, $1.95)
Helen Oxenbury has a variety of board books that begin with a baby in a familiar environment with recognizable elements. In Family, for example, we see the baby presented alone and then with different family personages. Oxenbury has not only a keen sense of the young world, but is wise enough to extend her board books in a toddler series. In this series we see the toddler grow up and again Oxenbury perfectly captures the toddler world in books such as The Shopping Trip when a young child exhausts a shopping parent. All Oxenbury books are touched with a special warmth and humor. (Simon and Schuster, $3.50)
Peter Spier's Gobble, Growl, Grunt, long a favorite hardcover book, has been released in a board book format. Between the sturdy pages, animals make a wide range of sounds that a baby will delight in hearing and later imitating and naming. ( Doubleday, $5.95)
Some clues as to how to read to your baby? First of all, begin early. Books with rhyme and rhythm seem to make good starting books. When your baby begins to sit easily in your lap, participation books provide good focus and stimulus. Leave board books in baby-accessible places so that children will always have a book when they want one.
Don't be frustrated if your baby doesn't seem interested. Keep presenting books and your baby will catch on sooner or later. Some babies are natural listeners, others are more active. Sleepy times are receptive periods. An active baby becomes a captive audience when in a high chair at meal time!
There is no right way to read a book. Dwell on the pages you enjoy, edit when your baby seems bored. If you want read-aloud models, attend a library story hour. Fill your readings with sparkle and excitement to bring books alive for you and your baby.