Sandra Boynton

The best word to describe Sandra Boynton’s books is silly.  She’s such a fun author and illustrator; I have quite a collection of her books.  We’ve read them so much, I have them memorized and they are starting to wear out!  Her texts usually rhyme and have a catchy rhythm.   Here are some of my favs:

Moo, Baa, La La La!

Blue Hat Green Hat

Doggies

Opposites

Oh My, Oh My, Oh Dinosaurs!

Snoozers

Birthday Monsters!

Barnyard Dance!

Pajama Time!

Hey, Wake Up!

Rhinoceros Tap – A book of songs with a CD. 

Philadelphia Chickens - A book of songs with a CD.

Snuggle Puppy – This book is a sweet little song that a mother dog sings to her puppy and my kids LOVE it.  I recommend learning the song and singing it.

You can check her out at sandraboynton.com.  Even her website is silly!

Karen Katz

All the books by Karen Katz are great for babies and toddlers.  She’s written a lot of lift-the-flap board books and most her stories feature babies or toddlers.  Her illustrations are darling, the text is smiple, and my kids have loved her books.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Princess Baby and Princess Baby Night Night

Ten Tiny Babies

Where is Baby’s Mommy?

Grandma and Me

Grandpa and Me

Daddy and Me

Toes, Ears, and Nose Written by Marion Dane Bauer

Peek-a-Baby

Twinkle Toes

Beddy-Bye Baby

She has a bunch of others, including quite a few holiday books.  I haven’t even read them all!  You can check out all her books at www.karenkatz.com.

Books for Babies and Toddlers

When my oldest was a baby, I had a really hard time finding books for him.  Here are a few things I learned about babies and books:

1.  Babies like lift-the-flap books and touch-and-feel books.

2.  Pick books that only have a few words a page.

3.  Babies like books with songs.

4.  Babies LOVE books about babies!

5.  I always looked for books in the board book section at the library.  They seem to be more baby friendly.

6.  BE PATIENT!  It takes time for babies to gain an interest in books.  I started with 5-10 minutes and then built from there.  I found it helped if I read the same time and place every day.  Most babies like routine.

I get pretty bored with some baby books because you have to read them over and over (and over) again!  Here are a few I really like:

Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora- Portrays a little toddler’s day with the peek-a-boo game.

Wake up, Me! by Marni McGee – All about a toddler waking up and getting ready for the day.

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell– A lift-the-flap book about a child who writes to the zoo to send him a pet, but all of them seem wrong!

I Love You As Much by Laura Krauss Melmed. – A rhyming book with animal mothers telling their babies how much they love them.

I See by Rachel Isadora – About all the things a toddler sees throughout her day.

Five Little Ducks by Pamela Paparone – The classic Five Little Ducks song.

Most the books I read to my babies they enjoyed even as toddlers.  So these books are great for toddlers too! 

More baby/toddler books to come!