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When Jackson was a baby, he used to carry around a tiny red board book about trucks. He took it everywhere — even to bed!!! Janice had to go out and buy two extra copies in preparation for the inevitable — a misplaced book with nap time looming.
And toddler Julia’s favorite book is called “First Steps in Prayer” — but not for the reasons that you’d hope. She is drawn to this book because of a picture of a little boy who has fallen off of his trike and has an ‘owie’ (how do you spell that?) and the little girl who is helping him.
Julia is mesmerized with this scene as she loves trikes and is intrigued that this little boy has fallen off his and now has a tear in his eye. She loves the idea that the little girl (we say his cousin) is helping him feel better.
The thought of reading to a baby or toddler may bring to your mind nice relaxing images of cozy snuggle time sharing a great tale together — or it might remind you of page-tearing or book-tossing or any other rather realistic toddler book experiencing scenario.
Personally, for the last couple of months, many of our attempts at story time with Julia have played out like this — she takes stacks of books off the shelf, we sit on the couch, open one, look at one page, she announces “Done” and we move on to the next.
But thankfully, in the last couple of weeks, she has really begun to enjoy longer story times where we actually read entire (very short) books.
I have to admit, I have have felt like a bit of a failure when it comes to Julia’s attention span and interest in books.
Until, I picked up this new book – “Reading with Babies, Toddlers and Twos — A Guide to Choosing, Reading and Loving Books Together“.
I just wish I had found it earlier. (This book would be such a perfect baby shower gift for an expecting mom.)
It’s an unbeatable resource of books to choose and how to have the most fun sharing stories with your tiny tots. One of the aspects I like the best is how honest and realistic the authors are about how babies and toddlers enjoy books — it isn’t always the same way we enjoy books. It’s really helping me to realize that just because Julia doesn’t always sit still to read a full book, she is still experiencing and having fun with the books. And that’s what matters.
The authors explain:
“What you may perceive as “problems” with the reading experience are actually stages of development. Sitting babies are going to grab the book, fall on the book, roll on the book, and drop the book. Crawlers are going to crawl away, crawl back, crawl away, crawl back. From the baby’s perspective, this couldn’t be better!”
And the authors include helpful suggestions:
Make books part of the fun. Spread out a few for her to crawl or roll to while you sit and read from one. Choose books that focus on single objects so that you can show her ball and dog. Try sitting across from each other and handing books back and forth or just handing them to baby.”
Some of the best parts of the book are the real-life experiences and top-ten lists pulled from the book shelves of living, breathing, book-chewing babies and toddlers.
I’m so excited to start trying out some of the suggested titles. Now, instead of just picking up whatever books I find on sale, I can look for certain titles that I know will be great hits.
So let’s share some of that same can’t-be-beat life experience here…
What was (or is) it like reading to your baby or toddler? Does he/she sit for the story or run around? What ways did you make books fun? What were (or are) their favorites?
Sarah says
Son- Good Night Moon by Margret Wise Brown
Daughter- Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle
melody says
Oh, the authors of the book you recommend, which is a great book btw, forgot to mention that babies and toddlers also show their love of a book by eating it.
melody says
My oldest son’s fave was “The Strange Disappearance of Arthur Cluck”. I haven’t a clue why.
My younger three as babies/toddlers LOVED “Moo, Baa, La La La” by Sandra Boynton and for an eternity when asked what a pigs say they each responded “la la la”. 🙂
Nancy von Minden says
My daughter’s favorite book as a toddler was “Baby Loves.” “Goodnight Moon” ran a close second, followed by “Guess How Much I Love You.” I never got tired of reading those books!
Jennifer says
My 4 year old loved Owl Babies by Martin Waddell.
LeAnne says
For several months, I wondered what I was doing wrong because I wanted to read to my son, but he was always wanting to turn the pages and not wait for me to read it. So seeing this post makes me feel better. He’s actually just in the last 2-3 months found an interest in books. He’ll say “bu, bu” and he loves to thumb through them. Now, I can still try to read to him, but I only get to read a few words until he starts trying to turn the page (board book). Then at times, he’ll sit there for a couple of minutes, then yank the book out of my hand and throw it on the floor. I guess its according to how tired he is. But most of the time, he’ll lean back on me and we’ll go thru the book (look at the pictures) and sometimes that’s how he falls asleep.
mama k says
My 8 mo likes books, most of the time. He likes me to read quickly and in an animated voice. He seems to like books that rhyme or have a sing-song rhythm. He has to be in the mood though. When he is grumpy he pitches a fit when we sit down to read.
Genesis Davies says
My 16 month old son loves books, I´ve read to him since he came home from the hospital. But now he is so active that he likes me to read aloud while he runs around the room!
He comes back occasionally to check out the pictures and lean on me to turn some pages, then he is off again. But I have noticed that he still is listening, because now he repeats back parts of his favorite books, even though he never actually sat down to read them with me!
His favorite right now is “Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?” because it has a rooster in it. He loves making the crowing sound. 🙂
Heather says
Both of my children LOVE books…. and they always sat when I read. With my oldest, I don’t remember his favorite.. but with my youngest, it was Maisy…. we had TONS of Maisy books and we read them over.and.over.
She loved it.
I’ve put them all away. One day I’ll give them to her children the way my mom gave my favorite book (Happy Birthday Oliver) to my kids.
Baileys Leaf says
Our daughter is three and has always loved books. She began with Pat the Bunny In the Garden, but we’ve always been fortunate of her love to drink up a good book. Even now, she will go to bed with no fewer than 10 books. Getting her to thin them out is a chore. Going to the library is something that she loves to do, as well, but she has had to work on library behavior. Her favorite book right now? Anything to do with Curious George. A few weeks ago, we got a book about Miss Spider and being afraid at bedtime. I read that thing so many times that I think I wore the words off the pages. She also loved the Veggie Tales books! We have baskets of books throughout the house for her and will regularly find her sitting on the couch, IGNORING the TV! and “reading” a book. Give it time! Keep working at it, though. It’ll all come together soon!
Toni (In The Midst Of This Season) says
My oldest liked Time For Bed by Mem Fox.
My 5yo liked Going To Sleep On The Farm by Wendy Cheyette Lewison.
4yo never had just one favorite.
I have read to all my children from infancy, as I’m now doing with our current baby, age 4mos. I lay down on the floor and hold the book over us. We start with non-busy pages that only have a single image on them. Captive audience!
Blessings,
~Toni~
Anna says
Chloe LOVES books. I have read to her every day since the day she was born. She will sit for hours in my lap if I am reading to her. (strange for a toddler, I know) If I want a cuddle all I have to do is say the word “book” and I get my cuddle, for as long as I want to read. Otherwise, good luck trying to catch the toddler tornado!!!
Her utmost favorite book that she picks EVERYTIME is “I Love You Forever”. I tend to do silly things when I read like tickle her at certain points, or nuzzle her neck or bump her in my lap. She gets used to those things in each book and its those books that she chooses. The ones that Mommy makes fun! You can see her gearing up for the “attacks” as we near the key point in the story. Too cute!
Lisa - The Scrap Princess says
My daughter’s favorite book is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We read it every night (sometimes 4-5 times lol) and she keeps it in bed with her. She now reads it to me, not actually by reading the words but because she memorized it. I have found that after I read her a book 3 or 4 times, she can read it back to me. It is amazing!!! I am not sure if all kids do that but to me it is incredible watching her grow this way. I have a photographic memory and it’s pretty exciting to see my child with the same abilities.
She also loves the scholastic books I buy from her preschool and The Potty Book. I’m happy that she enjoys reading and I read everything to her from magazines to cookbooks LOL.
Kimbrah says
I have three boys and I started with the oldest one and on, reading to them every time I nursed them. When the second was born, nursing time became story time for my oldest because it kept him out of trouble while I was immobile, so the tradition has kind of carried on with each one. I think because of that each of my kids has kind of absorbed my love for books, and they have always been able to sit through stories. The favorite book of my oldest (who is 3.75 years old) right now is The Lorax by Dr. Suess. The middle one (2 years old) loves Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The youngest (4 months) just loves all books. We started him out with the Black on White and White on Black books (I forget who the author is right now), but I took them back to the library because I was uncomfortable with the image of the baby bottle in one of the books (we are exclusive breastfeeders for our babies).
jen says
Daniel is slowly getting better hes always liked books but reading to him wasnt such a hit. Im pleased you add that quote from the book its made me smile. Now hell bring me a book and stay and watch while I read to him. Still not at the point where I could read word for word but as look as Im quick hell stay. I point out the things in the book I know will interest him.
The best book I got him from the library was about a train. We have trains running right outside our back yard and they use to scare Daniel. After getting this book out of the library he seems to have conquered his fear now instead of walking fast to get a reassuring hug from me. Hell stand where he can see the train and wave bye and say it too. Such a break through I should have got that book ages ago.
Jeff says
I’ve read Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak to my son since the day he was born.
Trista says
I Love you Forever!!! Loved that book!
laughing mommy says
We just kept reading to our daughter even if she ran around or tried to close the pages of the book. Eventually kids become interested in the story and will sit still for longer and longer periods of time. Pay attention to what books work and what books don’t. I find that books that I really loved my daughter didn’t like. She had her own taste.
katherine says
Aah – books are king around our house! Our little one (now almost 16 months) has sat (or when he was really little – laid) and listened to us read book after book. Occasionally he’ll want me to read one while he looks at another (!), but for the most part, he has always followed the whole book. We are so spoiled! When he was little he LOVED anything by Sandra Boynton or Eric Carle — he still likes those, but the Corduroy books, Caps for Sale, and Where the Wild Things Are have become some of his favorites.
Heather says
My daughter (now 4 1/2) used to make me read Moo, Baa, La, La, La by Sandra Boynton over and over. I can still recite it. She also liked Can I Have a Hug by Debi Gliori.
My son is 2 1/2 and he has liked Green Eggs and Ham the best for more than a year now. He’d ask “Sam? Mommy?” which meant he wanted to read it.
I use funny voices and do actions when I’m reading. Like for the Debi Gliori book it says “I like hugging owl but her feathers make me sneeze” so I’d make a fake sneeze…or “Bunnies are too bouncy” so I’d start bouncing my daughter on my lap. You get the idea.
Great post.
Nell T. says
Not so much when he was younger, but now he loves to be read to. He really likes “my big boy bed” right now.
Amberly says
My two girls have always loved to sit and have me read to them. My son, not so much. Two of our favorite books with our kids are Hermie: A Common Caterpillar by Max Lucado and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. and Eric Carle. My younger daughter especially loves Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, although I will confess that when my older daughter was born and we received this book as a gift I thought it was terrible! But my younger daughter’s love of the book has made it one of my favorites–so much that I have it memorized! We love the colorful pictures of Hermie: A Common Caterpillar and the wonderful lesson of God’s love. Brown Bear is just an all-around fun book for kids and one that they can “read” by themselves long before they’re actually reading!
Heidi says
Great post, that book sounds fabulous! I’ve been spoiled with my 2 1/2 year old son I think. He’s always sat for books since he’s been maybe 6 months old. Even now, he can last through the “what do people do all day” book by Richard Scarey and many other books that are almost too long for me to sit and read. LOL!
It’s probably a good investment still since who knows what his little sister will be like when she comes in August!
amanda says
I love kids books! I’ve bought so many for my 1yo. I can’t pass them up! Lydia loves I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child. She likes any book with a flap. She absolutely loves all the books that have real pictures of objects (happy baby 123) and of course, pop up books. Because I love to read so much, I started when she was a newborn reading “grown up” books to her–we’ve read ALL the Chronicles of Narnia, B is for Besty and now we’re reading “Little House in the Big Woods”. Now that she’s older it’s only a page at a time before bed, but I like the “tradition” we’re starting!
Adventures In Babywearing says
Gray is a very good book reader at 18 months. He would sit there and let me read (or just let him turn pages) all day long- as long as the book has DOGS in it!!
Steph
Military Mommy says
What a great post. I too felt like a failure when my kids were babies and couldn’t sit still for very long. With mine, I’ve just found that not pushing them to read when they don’t feel like it worked best. Also, surrounding them with beautiful, lyrical books so that when they did want to read they enjoyed themselves.
Both of their favorites were a little board book that my best friend got them: Baby Angels by Jane Cowen-Fletcher
I have already put the “loved on” version in the baby keepsake box and bought them another one to keep enjoying. 😉
Michelle
Diane J. says
Well, my “baby” is now almost 20 years old, but her favorite book of all time during her toddler/preschool years was “Goodnight Moon”.
When she got married I gave her the original book, taped-on cover and all. Now she’s due anytime to deliver my first grandbaby and we both look forward to continuing the tradition by reading it to little Emmy.
By the way, how is Janice feeling??? Any more spotting or worrisome stuff going on? And Susan, I assume you’re doing okay, I haven’t read anything here about your having any problems….