Even the littlest of littles, love books. They help build vocabulary, and help create some of the best bonding moments. The following books are great fun for newborns and up.
A LITTLE BOOK ABOUT COLORS (leo lionni’s friends), by Leo Lionni and Julie Hamilton, Random House Books for Young Readers, May 14, 2019, boardbook, $8.99 (ages 0-3) A LITTLE BOOK ABOUT SPRING (Leo Lionni’s Friends), by Leo Lionni and Julie Hamilton, Random House Books for Young Readers, Jan. 15, 2019, board book, $8.99 (ages 0-3) A LITTLE BOOK ABOUT ABCS (Leo Lionni’s Friends), by Leo Lionni and Julie Hamilton, Random House Books for Young Readers, Jan. 15, 2019, board book, $8.99 (ages 0-3)
This trio of books are inspired by the art of Caldecott Medal Winner Leo Lionni. Each book follows sweet little mice as they learn about spring, colors and the alphabet. These are simple books with straight-forward concepts. And while they are tailored to little ones, my soon-to-be-kindergartener enjoyed picking them up and reading them herself, making them great primers for beginning readers.
IS THAT YOUR DAD? (A Changing Faces Book), by Carles Ballesteros, Harry N. Abrams, April 16, 2019, board book, $7.99 (age 0-3)
Is That Your Dad? Is the third book in the Changing Faces series. In it, Froggy is looking for his dad, and with each turn of the page and a new animal to peruse, he gets closer to finding his dad. I love the interactive nature of these books. Watching the faces change is just as fun for adults as it is for kids.
MY MAGICAL MERMAID (My Magical Friends), by Yujin Shin, Harry N. Abrams, May 21, 2019, board book, $8.99 (ages 0-3) MY MAGICAL UNICORN (My Magical Friends), by Yujin Shin, Harry N. Abrams, Feb. 12, 2019, board book, $8.99 (ages 0-3)
The My Magical series from Abrams Appleseed is a lot of fun. These brightly colored board books feature sparkly holographic foil and interactive push, pull, spin and slide elements. My 5-year-old is definitely too old for these, but she continually asks if she can read them. Based on that, these would be a longer-term investment than other toddler books.
YOU ARE LIGHT, by Aaron Becker, Candlewick Studio, March 26, 2019, board book $15.99 (ages 4-8)
When you pick up You Are Light, you know you’re picking up something special. With each turn of the page, bright, die-cut circles create a halo around graphic images. What makes this book different than other “color” books is what happens when you hold it up to light — each of the circles glows. Though the suggested age range is 4-8, I’d probably skew younger on this on — ages 3-6.
READ TO YOUR BABY EVERY DAY: 30 classic nursery rhymes to read aloud, by Rachel Williams and Chloe Giordano, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, March 5, 2019, hardcover, $16.99 (ages 0-6)
Read to Your Baby Every Day is one of the sweetest books I’ve seen in a while. It pairs nursery rhymes with images of Chloe Giordano’s hand-embroidered illustrations on cloth. Research has shown reading aloud to your baby is one of the best things you can do to give them a head start. This book offers the perfect material with sweet illustrations children will grow to love as they mature.
