Friday, February 28, 2014

Great Books for (Almost!) One Year Olds

Jesse and I both love to read and we're just delighted that Baby Will enjoys it as much as we do.  Most of the reading is done in the nursery reading nook (though we do keep some books downstairs as well) as Will likes a few stories before and after naps and especially before bed.  I love love love snuggling up with him in our cozy glider and reading together (who would have thought having a baby would make me such a softy??).  But I mean, just look at those little hands...



He's gotten to the point where he's old enough to recognize and grab for his favorite books.  I thought I'd share a few with you if you're looking for some baby-tested literature for the little readers in your life.

I'll open with the current hands-down favorite, "Tails" by Matthew Van Fleet.  It's got all sorts of tabs to pull, textures to feel, and flaps to open.  Will used to just enjoy watching and listening to us read it to him but now he opens the flaps himself and grabs at the various animal tails.  He smiles and giggles at the "swishing" tails and the "stinky" skunk.  It's cute enough that reading it five times a day isn't brutal.


Here are two more that Will loves - "Moo, Baa, La La La!" by Sandra Boynton and "Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale" by Mo Willems.  Pretty much any Sandra Boynton book is a hit around here but Will has special love for "Moo Baa" (as we call it around here).  We even keep an extra copy downstairs for when he needs wacky animal sounds on the go.  "Knuffle Bunny" is a real book (ie not a board book) with a slightly more complicated story, but Will loves looking at the pictures and sits patiently through the whole thing.  Speaking of story, this is definitely one of the better storylines in baby books - it's one of my favorites as well.  I especially like that it takes place in Park Slope, the neighborhood in Brooklyn that I grew up in.


This next book is a little short on plot, but it has a BUILT IN PUPPET that Will leans in to kiss every time I turn the page (be still, my heart).  "In My Den" and it's sister book "In My Ocean" by Sara Gillingham and Lorena Siminovich are big hits with Will.


"The Wide-Mouthed Frog" is a new favorite of Will's.  It's a pop-up book (which means he is extra grabby) but he loves watching the illustrations come off the page.


There's also one more book he loves called "Little Blue Truck Leads the Way" but I can't find it anywhere (Mom, any ideas?).  He likes it so much that I sometimes bring it room to room with us.  It's probably under a pile of laundry or a Basset Hound or something.  Anyway, sweet little pictures and story.  Four thumbs up from Will & his mother.

Will is starting to enjoy books that are longer and longer, so we'll soon be moving into some of the more "grown up baby" books we have - I'll share those once they become part of the daily reads (as well as our bedtime books).

Any great books that I'm missing?  Let us know what you think we should add to the library!  Happy Friday from Baby Will the reader!

2 comments:

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