My daughter will complete 11 months in a few days. She was first introduced to a book a little after her 2-month birthday. She has been read to ever since. We are slowly but steadily building her little library alongside our own.
While my Instagram page dedicated to books, @ghiasireads, is full of suggestions for mommies, daddies and babies, I've compiled a comprehensive list of books/authors that a baby absolutely must be introduced to within her first year (and through toddlerhood)! Each of them is vibrant, well-written, and has a lesson to be learnt in the end.
1) Authored and illustrated books by Eric Carle
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Well, I see a highly successful children's book author. This was the first book we read to my baby, and she laughed! We got full giggles from a 2-month-old! *I have a picture for proof, read this till the end*. Eric Carle is a guru for new parents, and for good reason. Apart from the one suggested above, we also love The Very Hungry Caterpillar by him. It is a colourful treat to the eyes that can later be used to introduce the concepts of overeating, and metamorphosis, to a child. We also have The Little Learning Library by this author. It has tiny, hard-bound books on animals sounds, colours, words, and numbers. Perfect for tiny hands to handle!
2) My First Gruffalo, and other introductory books, by Julia Donaldson
The Gruffalo is a tale of a smart little mouse, on a walk through a forest. It is centered around his cunning,which keeps him alive even as he encounters several dangerous animals. In the end, he even manages to save himself from the dreaded Gruffalo, who is a hybrid between a grizzly bear and a buffalo. While I can't wait to buy this book and add it to our library, I have managed to introduce one of the 'My First Gruffalo' books to my tiny, it's called Colours and is illustrated beautifully by Alex Scheffler. You can also explore Numbers, Animal Actions, and Opposites from this series.
3) Multi-lingual books
We are a multi-lingual household. On a good day, three regional languages are spoken under our roof. English is omnipresent too. The first Hindi/English book I bought for my daughter is called Das Din by Pridhee Kapoor Gupta and illustrated by Alicia Souza. It is the story of a prince who falls ill and recovers in 10 days. It is meant to teach a baby her numbers from 1 to 10 in Hindi. I love the interactive life-the-flap design of the copy. It's smooth on the eyes and intelligently crafted. I've also added Follow the Ants (Chiteeyon ke Peeche Peeche) and Five Little Monkeys (Paanch Chhote Bandar) by Tulika Publications to our shelves. They are longer, well-told stories in English, followed by Hindi, and since they are paperbacks, I'd recommend them to be handled by a 3-year-old, at least. Now, I'm hunting for a few good reads in Marathi and Gujarati.
4) Babylit by Gibbs Smith
What book shelf worth its mettle is complete without its share of classics? And no daughter of mine is going to miss out on them! Babylit is an educational, bright, and gorgeous way to introduce classics to your child. They have primers for each concept such as camping, colours, and nonsense even! Primers are an introduction to a larger concept. That's why they have key words and phrases from the classic stories. We have The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Jabberwocky, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Alice in Wonderland for now. Uff, I can't recommend them enough.
5) Sing-along books by Sandra Boynton
That children make you do the damnest things is common knowledge. Mine has turned me into a singer. And, as per usual, books have brought about this new-found *talent*. Tickle Time, Snuggle Puppy, and Belly Button are few of the sing-along books we have from the very talented author, Sandra Boynton. I found catchy tunes for these easy rhyme-scheme books on YouTube. My daughter loves her mom's hoarse voice and bounces around in approval.
6) Beginner concepts, lift-the-flap books by Dr Seuss
I am really trying hard to hold off on buying the whole lot of books by the imitable Dr Seuss. Most of the amazing content by the author is best appreciated by *at least* a pre-schooler. But I am weak when it comes to books (and food). I chanced upon Special Shapes, and Super Senses, two lift-the-flap hard-bound books by Dr Seuss that are ideal for babies! Of course, I got them and we love them. They will help when I want to introduce shapes and senses (such as hearing, smelling, touching, etc) to my girl. For now, we are loving exploring the magnificent colours that come with the various Dr Seuss characters.
7) Spot by Eric Hall
Spot, the cute Labrador puppy, has interesting adventures with his little family, in lift-the-flap form. Authored by Eric Hall, this cutie is another great way to introduce dogs, cats, and other pet animals to a baby. We currently read, Spot says Goodnight and Spot Goes to the Park, together. I'd recommend handling the lift-the-flap books yourself before letting the baby pull at them, ultimately tearing things off, and trying to eat them. *true story*.
8) Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
We love Peter Rabbit! We have a finger-puppet book on this bunny that is a riot with my daughter. While Where is Peter Rabbit? is the classic long-format story ideal for a pre-schooler, The Peter Rabbit Finger-Puppet book aims to introduce the child to numbers. It is simple, highly interactive, and an easy-to-read introduction to inhabitants of a garden. My daughter tried to eat the puppet rabbit's nose, but that's a story for another time.
9) Peppa Pig
I will be honest, I found the Peppa Pig commercialisation so tacky! I looked down upon the franchise, before I got pregnant. Why did kids need tiffin boxes with Peppa Pig on them? What happened to good ol's Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck? But, like SO many things parenthood made me, I swallowed my words and bought a Peppa Pig book for my daughter. The thing is, I am one to keep up with the times; and if Peppa Pig is the flavour of the decade, then so be it! We have the board book called My Daddy from this collection; it has cute illustrations and very real reasons why Peppa, the pig, loves her daddy. *Not like these kids need a lot of reason to love their daddies*.
10) Dear Zoo (and other books) by Rod Campbell
The original Dear Zoo book is a lift-the-flap interactive book that aims to introduce a baby to the concept of zoo animals. I absolutely hate zoos. I may like the large, natural habitats that are recreated for animals in a few first-world countries, but I haven't seen those to make up my mind yet. So, I gave the cages in the original book a miss, for now, and got the Dear Zoo with Animal Cutouts. It's a cute little story of a child writing to a zoo to send her some animals to play with, but sending them back for various practical reasons. She ends up keeping a puppy because it was perfect!
Here was a peek into my little daughter's little library. This is an on-going project for a lifetime. So, please feel free to add your comments on the books that your tiny tot loves. Don't forget to tell me what they like and why!
Oh, and here's the picture proof I promised:
While my Instagram page dedicated to books, @ghiasireads, is full of suggestions for mommies, daddies and babies, I've compiled a comprehensive list of books/authors that a baby absolutely must be introduced to within her first year (and through toddlerhood)! Each of them is vibrant, well-written, and has a lesson to be learnt in the end.
1) Authored and illustrated books by Eric Carle
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Well, I see a highly successful children's book author. This was the first book we read to my baby, and she laughed! We got full giggles from a 2-month-old! *I have a picture for proof, read this till the end*. Eric Carle is a guru for new parents, and for good reason. Apart from the one suggested above, we also love The Very Hungry Caterpillar by him. It is a colourful treat to the eyes that can later be used to introduce the concepts of overeating, and metamorphosis, to a child. We also have The Little Learning Library by this author. It has tiny, hard-bound books on animals sounds, colours, words, and numbers. Perfect for tiny hands to handle!
2) My First Gruffalo, and other introductory books, by Julia Donaldson
The Gruffalo is a tale of a smart little mouse, on a walk through a forest. It is centered around his cunning,which keeps him alive even as he encounters several dangerous animals. In the end, he even manages to save himself from the dreaded Gruffalo, who is a hybrid between a grizzly bear and a buffalo. While I can't wait to buy this book and add it to our library, I have managed to introduce one of the 'My First Gruffalo' books to my tiny, it's called Colours and is illustrated beautifully by Alex Scheffler. You can also explore Numbers, Animal Actions, and Opposites from this series.
3) Multi-lingual books
We are a multi-lingual household. On a good day, three regional languages are spoken under our roof. English is omnipresent too. The first Hindi/English book I bought for my daughter is called Das Din by Pridhee Kapoor Gupta and illustrated by Alicia Souza. It is the story of a prince who falls ill and recovers in 10 days. It is meant to teach a baby her numbers from 1 to 10 in Hindi. I love the interactive life-the-flap design of the copy. It's smooth on the eyes and intelligently crafted. I've also added Follow the Ants (Chiteeyon ke Peeche Peeche) and Five Little Monkeys (Paanch Chhote Bandar) by Tulika Publications to our shelves. They are longer, well-told stories in English, followed by Hindi, and since they are paperbacks, I'd recommend them to be handled by a 3-year-old, at least. Now, I'm hunting for a few good reads in Marathi and Gujarati.
4) Babylit by Gibbs Smith
What book shelf worth its mettle is complete without its share of classics? And no daughter of mine is going to miss out on them! Babylit is an educational, bright, and gorgeous way to introduce classics to your child. They have primers for each concept such as camping, colours, and nonsense even! Primers are an introduction to a larger concept. That's why they have key words and phrases from the classic stories. We have The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Jabberwocky, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Alice in Wonderland for now. Uff, I can't recommend them enough.
5) Sing-along books by Sandra Boynton
That children make you do the damnest things is common knowledge. Mine has turned me into a singer. And, as per usual, books have brought about this new-found *talent*. Tickle Time, Snuggle Puppy, and Belly Button are few of the sing-along books we have from the very talented author, Sandra Boynton. I found catchy tunes for these easy rhyme-scheme books on YouTube. My daughter loves her mom's hoarse voice and bounces around in approval.
6) Beginner concepts, lift-the-flap books by Dr Seuss
I am really trying hard to hold off on buying the whole lot of books by the imitable Dr Seuss. Most of the amazing content by the author is best appreciated by *at least* a pre-schooler. But I am weak when it comes to books (and food). I chanced upon Special Shapes, and Super Senses, two lift-the-flap hard-bound books by Dr Seuss that are ideal for babies! Of course, I got them and we love them. They will help when I want to introduce shapes and senses (such as hearing, smelling, touching, etc) to my girl. For now, we are loving exploring the magnificent colours that come with the various Dr Seuss characters.
7) Spot by Eric Hall
Spot, the cute Labrador puppy, has interesting adventures with his little family, in lift-the-flap form. Authored by Eric Hall, this cutie is another great way to introduce dogs, cats, and other pet animals to a baby. We currently read, Spot says Goodnight and Spot Goes to the Park, together. I'd recommend handling the lift-the-flap books yourself before letting the baby pull at them, ultimately tearing things off, and trying to eat them. *true story*.
8) Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
We love Peter Rabbit! We have a finger-puppet book on this bunny that is a riot with my daughter. While Where is Peter Rabbit? is the classic long-format story ideal for a pre-schooler, The Peter Rabbit Finger-Puppet book aims to introduce the child to numbers. It is simple, highly interactive, and an easy-to-read introduction to inhabitants of a garden. My daughter tried to eat the puppet rabbit's nose, but that's a story for another time.
9) Peppa Pig
I will be honest, I found the Peppa Pig commercialisation so tacky! I looked down upon the franchise, before I got pregnant. Why did kids need tiffin boxes with Peppa Pig on them? What happened to good ol's Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck? But, like SO many things parenthood made me, I swallowed my words and bought a Peppa Pig book for my daughter. The thing is, I am one to keep up with the times; and if Peppa Pig is the flavour of the decade, then so be it! We have the board book called My Daddy from this collection; it has cute illustrations and very real reasons why Peppa, the pig, loves her daddy. *Not like these kids need a lot of reason to love their daddies*.
10) Dear Zoo (and other books) by Rod Campbell
The original Dear Zoo book is a lift-the-flap interactive book that aims to introduce a baby to the concept of zoo animals. I absolutely hate zoos. I may like the large, natural habitats that are recreated for animals in a few first-world countries, but I haven't seen those to make up my mind yet. So, I gave the cages in the original book a miss, for now, and got the Dear Zoo with Animal Cutouts. It's a cute little story of a child writing to a zoo to send her some animals to play with, but sending them back for various practical reasons. She ends up keeping a puppy because it was perfect!
Here was a peek into my little daughter's little library. This is an on-going project for a lifetime. So, please feel free to add your comments on the books that your tiny tot loves. Don't forget to tell me what they like and why!
Oh, and here's the picture proof I promised:
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| My little (and big) reader! |
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