Spring Books for Babies and Parents
Remember to pack these choices when you are headed for the park!
A Thousand Days of Wonder by Charles Fernyhough. Available in May 2010, this poignant reflection of a scientist is written by a true novelist. Fernyhough takes the clinical ideas of psychological development, brain development and early motor skills and transforms it into poetry, philosophy and emotion. Full of frustration and enormous love, it will resound in the heart of every parent. (Penguin)
The Very Best Mother Goose Book Tower by Iona Opie, illus. by Rosemary Wells. Available in February, this stackable tower of chunky board books is perfect for the youngest child. Wells, of Max & Ruby fame, is one of the top picture book artists around. Sure to be well loved and well chewed! (Candlewick)
Feeding Baby Green by Alan Greene. The follow-up book to the award winning Raising Baby Green, this is a perfect beginning book on making nutritionally sound decisions for your family. Starting with pregnancy, which shapes a baby’s taste buds, Greene provides tips and advice on healthy eating habits for your infant and recommends staying away from the baby food aisle. (Jossey-Bass)
Mommies and Babies by Simms Taback. Taback won the Caldecott Medal for Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. Many more awards and accolades followed. His beginning concept board books are simple and simply sublime. The pages are filled with familiar shapes that are full of personality and vibrant colors. Your baby will pick this book over and over again. So will you. (Blue Apple Books)
Pat the Beastie by Henrik Drescher. If you have a sense of humor and are a fan of Edith Kundhardt’s classic Pat the Bunny, you will love this reissue. Paul and Judy have a pet “beastie” that looks like a cross between a dragon and an aardvark! They torture their poor pet and just like in the classic book, the reader too can jiggle the beastie’s eyes and pull its hair. Little hands will clap with delight at picking the beastie boogers as well. (Workman)
Bedtime Lullabye, by Roger Priddy. This book and CD set would make a lovely gift for new parents. Sixteen familiar lullabies that you can read aloud, and then play softly once the lights are turned off. A board book to last and last, the embossed illustrations add magic to the poetry. (Priddy Books)
American Parent by Sam Apple. According to A.J. Jacobs, “If What to Expect When You’re Expecting somehow mated with Bill Bryson, the result would be American Parent.” A perfect description of a book for new dads that is part journalism, part stand up comedy. Honest, yet reassuringly hopeful. (Random House)
Brand-New Baby Blues, by Kathi Appelt, illus. by Kelly Murphy. Finally, the truth comes out. Try out this book for the older sibling, full of bluesy angst and rhythm. Provide a pair of sunglasses and a harmonica and keep the video camera nearby. (HarperCollins)
Springtime and babies are a perfect match for Julie Hubble in Leawood.