Publisher Close Up: Barefoot Books

Many of my friends ask me for board book recommendations for their toddlers (specifically 18-36 months). These parents are looking for more sophisticated content but know their children cannot hold back the temptation of ripping thin paperbacks. I am constantly suggesting board books published by Barefoot Books and decided to showcase them for all my readers today (conveniently just in time for gift-giving season)! They have amazing titles to choose from, all with appropriate texts and vibrant illustrations that are sure to be your new go-to books for story time. Here are some examples that have become staples in my own home:

Alligator Alphabet

By: Stella Blackstone

Before you even begin to go through the names of animals in alphabetical order, take a look at the end papers of this board book. They are so colorful and inviting they are sure to excite any toddler about the alphabet! The text and illustrations are simple and rhythmic, the perfect combination for a little one learning letters and names of animals. As a parent and educator (of sorts), I appreciate the presence of both the capital and lower case letter on each page right next to each other for children to see both forms of the letters. The book also lends itself to singing when you get to the last page. So now that you know about this version of the ABCs, next time won’t you read this book with your toddler?

One Moose, Twenty Mice

By: Clare Beaton

While counting all the different animals on each page of this board book, there is a little game of hide and seek to be played that is sure to excite and engage the reader. This counting book is rare in that it counts from one to twenty and really pushes the idea that children can absorb anything, so why stop counting at ten? Children will clearly be able to identify the number as well as the spelling each number on each page and will also have a great time telling you what kinds of familiar items the illustrator used to add character to each item on the page. Clare Beaton has a unique illustration technique in all of her books. She sews fabric and uses beads, buttons and sequins for detailing. It is always bright and inviting for children of all ages. Go out and get counting!

Big and Small

By: Britta Teckentrup

Teaching the concept of opposites is extremely popular during the toddler years. Big and Small has an interesting approach to the typical book about differences. Everything in the book is either big or little but the connections to understand the two pictures lends itself to a much bigger educational opportunity. For example, on one page there is an apple and next to it is a seed. Obviously the apple is the bigger object and the seed is the small one, but a child will notice the seed is inside a cut-up apple and this also gives the reader the opportunity to teach that seeds are planted and then grow into apples. Pretty sophisticated for a toddler board book! The book is filled with colorful, bold illustrations and has far more to offer than just building vocabulary and itemizing things that are large or small.

Bear About Town

By: Stella Blackstone

By the time a child turns two, they are usually familiar with places they go to most often. The street of the park before they actually see the swings, when you turn the corner on to the block you live on, usually the child will verbalize they are aware of their surroundings. This book has the reader tag along with Bear as he shows us where he goes on a weekly basis. While some places may be more familiar to a child than others (the playground vs. the movie theater), this book has a map of Bear’s town on the last page that makes this a remarkable teaching tool about a neighborhood. A child can literally trace Bear’s daily journeys and see how he gets to each place every day. It may even inspire you to create with your little one your own map of the popular places you go to together. (My son personally uses it as a road for his toy cars to drive on, to each his own!)

Elusive Moose

By: Joan Gannij

This is definitely not your typical animal story. Set in the North woods, a narrator is searching for a moose. Can you spot one each page? Clare Beaton illustrates this book in her typical fashion of felt, beads and buttons and encourages readers to explore a region they may be very unfamiliar with. An opportunity to teach about different types of footprints and Northern wildlife stem from this beautiful little book.

    

Clare Beaton's Rhyming Series

Clare Beaton combines popular and not as familiar verses in all of these beautifully illustrated board books. They are fun to read and inviting to look at. Our personal favorites are Animal Rhymes and Bedtime Rhymes. Children will definitely start chanting these rhymes over and over! 

Favorite Board Books These Days...

Here are my favorite board books that have been recently published. Both you and your youngest reader are going to love them!

    

Spot Goes Shopping - Eric Hill

Who doesn’t love Spot the puppy? He is on an adventure with his mother to the grocery store and what fun it is to watch them shop! The different groceries are easily discernable and the text lends itself to really expand a child’s vocabulary about different things bought in a supermarket. A great example is when Spot’s mother holds orange juice and asks Spot if he would like to buy it and he holds oranges and says “Can we make our own?” The oranges are next to lemons and grapes and when I read this to my three year old I asked him what would be made if Spot held the grapes and my son deduced it would make grape juice and the lemons would make lemon juice. The only thing better than the bright pictures and Spot’s enthusiasm is the opportunity this book creates for a child and their parent to create a shopping list of their own and go on their own shopping expedition!

Who's My Baby - Sassy

I am always on the lookout for great board books for babies and toddlers. My criteria is that the book must be engaging for both the child and the reader, educational and worth reading over and over again. Who’s My Baby is exactly this kind of book. It has vibrant pictures, large, sturdy lift the flaps and a mirror in the back for the child to get excited to see themselves. The book has few words but gives the reader the opportunity to say things like “These are cats, their babies are called kittens”. It is a great book to teach the names of animals and their young and you will always find the cutest baby at the end!

Baby's ABC - Sassy 

With sturdy pages, vibrant illustrations and excellent depictions of words, this is a really fun way to learn the alphabet. I love that the book shows both the capital and lowercase letter on each page and it is an easy engaging board book to jumpstart baby's vocabulary!

Board Books

Those very square supposedly unbreakable short books that somehow find their way into every baby's mouth - those are "board books". While the claim is they are more sturdy than regular picture books, somehow their binds crack and they seem to get ripped apart as soon as a baby gets teeth. No worries! You are still teaching your child literacy because they are learning how to handle a book during this process. Seems impossible right? Actually, holding that book makes the baby look at the words and pictures, so they are learning books have words and pictures.

There is no such thing as a "bad book" to give a baby or toddler, but some are definitely better choices than others. It's a great idea to mix it up at story time for your little ones. It is great to show off books that have one picture per page with the word underneath (or above it) and children greatly benefit from touch and feel books, but don't stop there! You would be surprised at how long your toddler can actually sit. Be wary of books that are shortened into board books, they don't always make sense, while others are excellent like Dr. Seuss's "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You"? or "Go Dog, Go!" by P.D. Eastman. By the time my son was two years old he was able to repeat these books by heart.

Babies also love to look at other babies and there are great books that go through daily sequencing or colors starring cute ones that are definitely worth investing in. Remember, it is okay if during story time with your baby or toddler they take the book from your hand and decide you aren't going to finish the story. It is important they flip through it on their own and explore the beauty of the physical book. There will be plenty of time to read the book cover to cover over time. Enjoy this precious together time!

"Hey Mommy, Pick A Book!"

This is the phrase I look forward to hearing everyday around 2 pm. That is the time I shut off all the technology devices (TV, IPad and my cell phone) and we have reading/play with your toys time. This lasts until 3:30 when Little Einsteins starts on the Disney channel. I know I haven't posted in a while, but I had a second child in June, and then I became a stay at home mom. The world forgot to tell me that everything I do for myself (including blogging), would have to take a back seat for a while and that's okay.

Being home with my 6 month old and my 28 month old has been quite a challenge for me. As one who loves to be in fancy clothes and high heels all day, that has all been traded in for comfy shirts and skirts due to so much time spent at the playground or at home (especially now with the cold weather upon us)! So followers, it's not that I haven't been reading, I just haven't been telling you about it lately.

I believe the time has come to remix this blog. Reviews are great, but as a children's librarian and as a mother the time has come for me to share with you the importance of Early Literacy. Not just because I took a continuing education class on it last month and not because I need to increase my numbers at "baby storytime", but because school is getting harder for our children, and we need to take back their childhood while preparing them for the real world. I am ready to help each and every one of you have your child knowing the ABCs and their Numbers by 2. (Sorry, my book is not yet published). The best part? You don't have to do much - except spend some time with your baby/toddler! You already do that? AWESOME! You are a hard working full time Mama? Excellent - here are some tips for your caregiver. Your caregiver doesn't speak English? Jackpot! She can sing and dance in whatever language she knows best - your baby will LOVE it!!!

I will try to post these helpful tips as often as possible, but I cannot promise daily due to my crazy work schedule. In any case here is an overview of how to get started:

We are parents in 2013. Our children need to be all kinds of literate. They need to know about reading in addition to technology and the world around them - trees, dirt, snow, food, clothing etc. I know there are many studies out there that say "no screens for anyone under 2 years old". I don't think anyone who wrote that had an 18 month old at home who also needed to cook dinner and get the laundry out of the washing machine and into the dryer. Spoiler alert: My 18 month watched television. However, I was the one in charge of the remote, which is why he spent a lot of nights watching "Wheel Of Fortune" which led to his knowledge of the letters in the alphabet. My advice (and I will definitely discuss this at length in another post) is to allow your child screen time if you need to, both a television and an IPad, within moderation, and make it a bonding time for you and your child. That way, there is still family time and the child learns these items are part of the world, not rewards.

As for those under two years of age, welcome to the world of giggles and bouncing and preparing your child for everything there is that needs to be learned! All babies need to be read and sung to, in any language. Board books are great (I will post my top picks for books at every age and stage). A lot of my personal favorites can be found at www.downtownbookworks.com, and singing to your baby is an absolute must, even if it is just your schedule of the day. Babies love rhyme time, so get that baby on your lap and sing "Open Shut Them". I promise you that if you sing that every day for a week, by day 8 your child will anticipate when to open up their little mouths (and that's a really big deal in the literacy world!)

The time has come to prepare our youngest children to live in a world that is filled with a lot of things that did not exist when we were young. We have to make sure they use their imaginations when they build with their blocks, and still want to dress up in tiaras and cowboy hats. But, there is no harm in having your two year old be able to recognize the letters in his name!

My First Batman Book

Book: My First Batman Book: Touch and Feel

Author: David Katz

Publisher: Downtown Bookworks

Pages: 12 (Board Book)

Rating: 5 Stars

This board book is the essential Batman 101: His real name is Bruce Wayne, he responds to the Bat-Signal, he drives the Batmobile, he uses the Batrope to get around high places, he uses a computer and his partner in crime is Robin. My First Batman Book is a must-have touch and feel book for any child whose parents watch The Big Bang Theory or were major comic book collectors. The series includes Superman and Wonder Woman as well. The book has the vintage look of Batman and Robin and any boy who wants to be a superhero needs to have this book in his collection. 

Turn The Key: Around Town

Book: Turn The Key: Around Town

Author: Julie Merberg

Illustrator: Lucinda McQueen

Publisher: Downtown Bookworks

Pages: 12 (Board Book)

Rating: 5 Stars

Turn the Key: Around Town is a different type of “lift the flap” book. The board book takes a child on a journey around the town making stops at the local toy shop, the supermarket, the park and other familiar places. The book comes with a key attached to it and the child uses it at each location to unlock the door and see the area in more detail.

What is so great about this book is that you can “lock” the flap so a child cannot rip it off! It is written in rhyme and the pictures are warm and inviting. Children will get excited about turning the key to open the door and feel a sense of accomplishment when they lock it back up. The book is also an excellent tool for building vocabulary skills. Children can name all of the animals, toys, objects and foods that they see throughout the book.