I guess it’s been ages, but awhile back, I asked my readers on facebook what kinds of posts they would like to see more of. My good friend from high school mentioned I should do a post on our favorite baby books. Since a lot of our top board books have been lost over the years, while others have been chewed to death, the kids and I put this list together of all the favorite books we can remember. We read this one so many times, we had to buy several copies. When those wore out, I simply recited the poem to my kids as they fell asleep.
Guess How Much I Love You : We loved this one to death. So much that my youngest never got to see it. It’s about two mommy and a baby—who have a battle of wits to see who loves the other more. It may make you cry. I’m getting a little choked up as I write about it.
The Going-To-Bed Book: Oh, how we love Sandra Boynton. Her stories are adorable and quick. I don’t know about you, but for me, quick is key when reading to babies. This is a little rhyming book that follows a posse of animals through their bedtime routine while residing on a cruise ship.
Blue Hat: This one is hilarious for toddlers, and when you read it enough, they will soon be able to read it to you. It’s the story of a turkey, who never seems to be able to dress himself right.
Snuggle Puppy: The song that goes to this story is on Sandra Boynton’s CD Philadelphia Chickens. This was the song that used to make my oldest son cry as a four-year-old. When I saw it as a board book, I had to buy it right away. It became an instant favorite of my youngest son.
Olivia: I never thought the book could be better until it came out in the board book form. Ian Falconer is an absolute genius.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Wasn’t this one of your favorites when you were a kid? And wasn’t the one you checked out of the library torn and covered in something sticky? The classic board book will last much longer. Problem averted . . . for a couple of years, at least.
Doggies: Now, this one, I do have to state a disclaimer. It’s basically a counting book where different kids of dogs help you count. For example, it goes, “One dog: Woof. Two Dogs: Woof. Yap! Yap!” and so on, until the end. It made me exhausted to do all the voices—and I never got let off the hook with reading it once. It was almost always a two or three time read through. At least. That said, though I may have been hoping it found it’s way to the bottom of the toy box, it was one of my kids’ all time favorites.
Each Peach Pear Plum: Now, this one is underrated. We loved it. I learned about it first in high school, when I worked at a mini children’s book store. It was a best seller then, and I was so happy to find it as a popular board book, though you do have to look for it—or special order it on amazon. It’s basically a little rhyme that throws together about ten fairy tales, and you have to play I Spy at the same time. It’s lovely, and the colors are so sweet, it makes me want to have another baby so I can design a nursery around the book.
Polar Bear, Polar Bear: What Do You Hear? Eric Carle. Maybe it’s the writer in me—I love this one for its descriptive verbs: braying, hissing, trumpeting, etc. I would read this one with a low voice to lull my little ones asleep.
