Board Books! Board Books! Board Books!

With a super busy 8-month-old who is not so gentle with things, especially books, I've remembered how important it is to have a stash of board books around for him to play with. I've put accessible books that can withstand a beating in nearly every room of the house and also have a stash for the car and diaper bag.

At this stage, he'll touch pictures and is able to flip the thicker cardboard pages. He rarely stays still long enough to get through more than one book and loves "eating" them more than anything. But at eight months, that's all I can really ask for. Introducing babies to books and letting them explore them is an early introduction to literary, and I know at least for me, having board books around offers my baby the opportunity to play with books without the fear that he'll rip a page or poke himself with a sharp corner.

I've also found board book versions of some of my three-year-old daughter's favorite books. She loves to "read" them to him and show him pictures. Here are some newer board books we are enjoying.

Happy Birthday, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton
In the latest "Pookie" installment, many parents will find this scene all too familiar as Little Pookie wakes up way too early on his birthday and just can't get back to sleep. Once Pookie's finally wake up, the day is filled with birthday festivities. If you know the Pookie books, this one has the familiar rhythm and cute pictures that really engage young children. It's fast and it's fun...perfect for little ones.

ISBN: 978-0375865398 | Robin Corey Books, May 25, 2010 | Source: Review copy from publisher

Busy Gorillas by John Schindel, photographs by Andy Rouse
We've been fans of Tricycle's "Busy Book" series from way back. See reviews of other books in the series here, here, and here. In the next installment of the series, set to release next week, kids come face-to-face with busy gorillas in action. It has a great mix of photographs from baby gorillas to adult gorillas, and This came in the mail just this past Friday, and my daughter absolutely LOVES it. Over the weekend, she kept picking it up and saying, "Look at this guy, Mommy." The baby loves it, too, and we're so excited for the next book, Busy Elephants, to come out in February. Seriously, if you're looking for a series of long-lasting books, these have been favorites of my daughter's since 2008.

ISBN: 978-1582463520 | Tricycle Press, October 12, 2010 | Source: Review copy from publisher

ABC, Baby Me! by Susan Katz, illustrated by Alicia Padron
I know what you're thinking...not another alphabet book, but I promise this one is really cute. Each letter of the alphabet features a scene with a baby getting love and attention from friends and family. A is "Adore Me," B is "Bathe Me," C is "Cuddle Me," and so on. The soft illustrations of happy babies of many different races make this a heartwarming book that I wouldn't hesitate to give to any new parent or grandparent.


ISBN: 978-0375866791 | Robin Corey Books, September 28, 2010 | Source: Review copy from publisher

American Babies by The Global Fund for Children
We've read The Global Fund for Children's Global Babies (see my review here) over and over again, so I was delighted to receive a copy of American Babies. In the same spirit as Global Babies, American Babies introduces you to gorgeous photographs of diverse babies all across the U.S. Brief text on every page sends a positive message about the love babies bring to the world. I think I love this book just as much as my little ones do.

ISBN: 978-1580892803 | Charlesbridge Publishing, July 1, 2010 | Source: Complimentary copy from The Global Fund for Children


What about you? What board books are you reading with your children?


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