When a Bibliophile Has a Baby

4

When a Bibliophile Has a Baby - Columbia SC Moms BlogI love reading. But what I do not love, but want to love so badly, is reading baby books. I’m not talking about the classic “What to Expect” books or the Wonder Weeks, although I could tell you how I feel about those as well. Another blog, another time. But no, the one genre I just can’t get behind is books for babies. Books written for the newborn or infant in your life.

When I got pregnant, a dear friend gave us all the things we could ever possibly need to keep a baby alive and well-heeled, so our baby registry was page after page of books for our soon-to-be tiny human. I scoured the amazing lists posted on Book Riot, selected the most literary I could find, and dreamed of the day when I could read to my little daughter, and we would both fall in love with those books.

It didn’t quite work like that. Sure, she fell in love with the books, just like she fell in love with the empty water bottle or the cardboard box in the living room. But for me, these adorable books with their eight words total, slowly drove me mad. The Hounds of Baskerville reduced to less than ten words?! How is that remotely okay?

Okay, this one isn't that bad.
Okay, this one isn’t that bad.

I get it. Babies have short attention spans and their ability to discuss plot points is sorely under-developed, but for all the other literary mamas out there, can’t we have a beautifully illustrated and lovingly crafted baby book that also has complete sentences?

After a few months of trying my best to read baby books to my baby, I gave up. Now, I read her what I am reading. She loves the snuggle time, and I love books with whole paragraphs. Win-win.

How do you read with the baby or child in your life?

4 COMMENTS

  1. Hey readers…just here to say this is my BFF 🙂 Ain’t she amazing!? Oh, and this was a hilarious and beautiful article. xoxo

  2. I mentioned on Facebook that I would make a list of REALLY good baby books…wanted to share it here so that all the readers could see!
    First though, Amanda is doing something AWESOME by –
    1. Reading in front of her kid. Nothing creates a life long reader like having good reading role models.
    2. Reading with her kid. Bonding, bonding, bonding and showing that making time for reading is a good thing.
    3. Reading to her kid. Even if you are reading out loud books for grown ups to your kid, that’s AWESOME. The more words they hear, the more they are surrounded by print, the more words they will develop.
    PS – Never stop reading out loud to your kid. Even when they are in middle and high school.

    So, here are a few of my favorites (that parents will enjoy too):
    ANYTHING by Mo Willems (for babies, Pigeon books and the Cat the Cat series) – both are in board book format.
    ANYTHING by Jan Thomas (Rhyming Dust Bunnies is my favorite)
    ANYTHING by Eric Carle (many are available in board book format)
    ANYTHING by Sandra Boynton (baby classics)
    Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
    Press Here, Mix it Up, and Let’s Play by Tulle (Tulle also has a series of pretty cool, interactive board books)
    Pete the Cat books are just fun…especially the ones by Eric Litwin.
    I Want My Hat Back by Klassen…parents will enjoy this (and other books in the series) more than babies will, but they are very funny and have the kind of humor that parents will enjoy.
    Pout Pout Fish by Diesen Rhyming words and fun to read aloud!
    My baby also loves the DK Touch and Feel books. They are mostly non-fiction and include some cute facts. My girl loves the colorful photos. Books that have images of other kids and babies are great too! Love the Global Baby series by The Global Fund for Children.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here