The Newest Titles for the Newest Parents!

Feelings Flashcards by Todd Parr. Parr’s trademark colorful images are wonderful for babies because tots are naturally attracted to pictures of faces. Try these flashcards for exploring a child’s personality – it will start them down the road on how to communicate their feelings. You might even want to try them with your older children. (Chronicle)

If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be OK by Laura Zibners. Zibners, an emergency room pediatrician, has found a way to add humor to panicky situations and gives parents the tools they need to make decisions about emergencies. Even though the tone says, “Trust your instincts,” there are still plenty of critical bits of information that require immediate attention. Read this before you are awaken at 4 in the morning wondering what to do. (Grand Central Publishing)

Lullabye Baby: 50 Songs to Read, Sing and Hear by Audrey Ficociello and Chronicle Books Staff. Once Grandpa sings a song wrong, no one can ever remember the correct words anymore. Especially that mockingbird song…Here is a beautiful collection of lullabye favorites with an onboard sound module that sings the songs for you! For the vocally challenged, or for those who cannot remember the words, you will take this book with you wherever you go. (Chronicle)

Push Button by Aliki. This title is totally in sync with button crazy toddlers. The Push Button boy loves all sorts of buttons that make wonderful noises! The toaster, the phone, the water hose. But pushing buttons is hard work, and his finger gets sore. The rhyming text and colorful pictures on white space show him learning to do other things with this finger all bandaged up. But he is soon back in action, full of energy and new adventures! (Harper Collins)

Who Said Coo? by Deborah Ruddell, illus. by Robin Luebs. Lulu the pig is trying to go to sleep. She is just on the verge of drifting off when she hears a loud “Coooo!” Pigeon and Owl are there, but they say nothing. Of course, there are a few more wakings (“Whoooo!”) and finally Lulu shouts, “SHOO!” But she really meant “Shhh!” The rhyming text encourages participation, just like Peek-A-Who but with a full story line. (Simon & Schuster)

The Blue Jay’s Dance: A Memoir of Early Motherhood by Louise Erdrich. Erdrich is best known as a fiction writer (The Birchbark House, Beet Queen). This poignant memoir evokes the Native American spirit she is best known for as she reflects on pregnancy and childbirth. She transports the common parts of our lives into the mystery and wonder of creation. The New York Times Book Review called it “observant, tender and honest.” (Harper Collins)

Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti. An all-star list of children’s recording artists have contributed mostly unrecorded songs for this sampler of family music. Much of the work on the record has been donated, from musicians, studios, engineers and distributors. Names like Pete Seeger, Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, Dan Zanes and They Might Be Giants are all there. A fantastic compilation of music. (Spare the Rock Label)

Julie Hubble lives in Leawood.