Good Night New York City

Good Night New York City
by Adam Gamble and Joe Veno

What it's about:
This board book is part of the "Good Night Our World" series. In this story, the reader says "Good morning," "Good afternoon," and "Good night" to a variety of New York City landmarks. Other books in the series focus on places like Atlanta, Boston, and California.

Why we like it:
My son received this book as a gift from his grandmother who lives in New York. We started reading it to him at a very young age, and he still loves it at least a year later. The story is simple and the illustrations are intricate without appearing too busy. My son likes to point out various details from each picture as we turn the pages. I continue to enjoy the book for the same reason. The illustrations give us something new to talk about every time we read it. When my son gets a little older, we hope to go on family adventures to each of the landmarks we've learned about from this story.

Suggested Age Range:
We started reading this book to my son when he was about 6 months old. At that age, he was entertained by simply looking at the brightly colored pictures of places and people. As he got older, he started to pick out certain details in the pictures and began anticipating things I typically showed him. I'm convinced that he learned what the Statue of Liberty and the American flag look like from this book. He still loves reading it at age 18+ months, and I think he'll continue to enjoy it until he reaches kindergarten age.

Additional Information:
Copyright 2006
Our World of Books
ISBN 0-9777979-3-7
$9.95

Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak

What it's about:
This is a story about a little boy named Max and his vivid imagination. Max gets into trouble and is sent to his room without any supper. Once in his room, Max imagines that he takes a journey to the world of wild things. He enjoys his reign as "king of the wild things" for awhile. Eventually he gets hungry and decides to return home. Upon his return, Max finds that his supper is waiting for him.

Why we like it:
To be honest, I enjoy this story more than my son at this point. I remember learning about this book through watching "Reading Rainbow" when I was young. We borrowed the book from the library recently, and I love reading it to my son. He likes pointing out the pictures of Max on each page, but he seems a little nervous about the wild things. They do look a lot like monsters! I love this story because it captures the imagination of a mischievous little boy - and I am seeing more of this mischievousness in my son every day. The illustrations are beautiful as well.

Suggested Age Range:
As I mentioned, I think my 1 1/2 year old is a little bit young to truly appreciate this book. I believe that he will like it more as his imagination develops more fully. I'm hopeful that this whimsical story will help him overcome any future fears of monsters under the bed. I believe the "wild things" will continue to entertain him throughout the early elementary school years.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1963
Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN 0-06-025492-0
$17.95

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!
by Karen Beaumont
illustrated by David Catrow

What it's about:
This is a story about a mischievous toddler who loves to paint. The walls, the ceiling, and his body are his canvas. Unfortunately for the boy, his mother is known to thwart his creativity by throwing him in the bathtub.

Why we like it:
Before reading this story for the first time, I wondered if I should read a book with the word "ain't" in the title to my son. I try to use proper grammar in his presence, but for this wonderfully silly story, I will gladly make an exception. This book is lots of fun for several reasons. First, it is about a mischievous little boy. My own mischievous little boy loves to watch the main character paint his heart out. While the child paints his body, my son giggles and points to his own body parts as we turn the pages. He is also amazed by the unique style of the illustrations and the bright colors. Both of us have a great time singing the refrain, "I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!" Well actually, for now he just says "No 'Mo!"

Suggested Age Range:
We received this book through a book exchange a couple of weeks ago when my son was almost 18 months old. I think this was a perfect age to start reading it because he knows most of his body parts and can recognize them on other people and in pictures. He doesn't "get" the punch line at the end of the story, but he probably will soon. Since the punch line is a little bit sassy, I would guess that children up through early elementary school would continue to enjoy this book.

Additional Details:
Copyright 2005
Harcort, Inc.
ISBN 0-15-202488-3
$16.00

Dr. Seuss's ABC

Dr. Seuss's ABC
by Dr. Seuss

What it's about:
This alphabet book teaches all 26 letters. It reads like a poem or song and has no storyline. The point of the book is to teach young children their upper and lower case letters.

Why we like it:
To be perfectly honest, I have not historically been a big fan of the legendary Dr. Seuss. Is it just me, or is the Cat in the Hat a little bit creepy? That being said, his wacky style is growing on me and we do have a number of Dr. Seuss books in our collection. We read them often because my son really enjoys them. This is my favorite. I think it's an excellent alphabet book for a couple of reasons. First, it teaches about upper and lower case letters. Many other alphabet books teach about just one case. Second, Dr. Seuss associates both imaginative and real things to the letters. This makes the book fun and educational at the same time.

Suggested Age Range:
We started reading this book with my son when he was about 9 months old. At that age, he seemed to like the rhythmic phrasing and the silly pictures. Now that he is about 1 1/2, he is beginning to recognize some letters. This makes it even more fun to read because he can point to the ones he knows. I think he will continue to request this book as he learns more and more letters. He will probably enjoy it until he reaches preschool age - possibly longer.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1963
Random House
ISBN 0-394-80030-3
$8.99

Wild Animal Baby

Wild Animal Baby
published by the National Wildlife Federation

What it's about:
Wild Animal Baby is a magazine published by the National Wildlife Federation. It is similar to "Your Big Backyard" and "Ranger Rick," but it is geared toward younger children. The magazine is published 10 times per year and includes beautiful photographs, animal facts, and age appropriate activities.

Why we like it:
My son and I both look forward to the arrival of Wild Animal Baby in our mailbox each month. When a new magazine arrives, we read it over and over until the pages start to fall out. My son particularly loves the pictures of the baby animals and the "animal search" in each issue. He also has fun finding Sammy Skunk, a happy character who hides in various places throughout the magazine. I think this publication is a great way to teach very young children about wildlife. The information is age appropriate, and the activities are fun!

Suggested Age Range:
According to the publisher, Wild Animal Baby is geared toward children up to age 3. My son started receiving it when he was 1 year old. The activities were very challenging for him then, but he still enjoyed reading the magazine. Now that he is about 1 1/2 years old, the activities are much more appropriate, but they are still difficult. At this rate, I estimate that he will be ready for "Your Big Backyard" (for ages 3-7) by around his third birthday.

Additional Information:
Published by the National Wildlife Federation
Subscription Rate: $19.95 per year (10 issues)

Pat the Bunny

Pat the Bunny
by Dorothy Kunhardt

What it's about:
This classic interactive story is a collection of favorite baby activities such as looking in a mirror, playing peek-a-boo, and waving bye-bye. Paul and Judy perform each action, and the reader is asked to mimic them.

Why we like it:
I think my son loves this book because he can "do" all of the activities, and each activity engages his mind and body in a different way. I have enjoyed reading this book to him over the past 6 months. It has been amazing to watch him improve at each activity over time. My son learned the "so big" game reading this book. He also learned how to smell flowers from this story. When spring came, he searched the yard for real flowers and wanted to smell them all!

Suggested Age Range:
My son received this book when he was exactly 12 months old. He was ready for it then, and probably would have enjoyed it several months earlier. I thought he was outgrowing the story until recently when he held a stuffed animal and helped the toy perform the tasks as his daddy read. This made me realize that even though the activities are relatively simple for him now, he still finds it entertaining.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1940
Golden Books
ISBN 978-0307120007
$9.99

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
by Bill Martin, Jr.
illustrated by Eric Carle

What it's about:
This board book is a collection of simple illustrations showing a variety of animals. Each animal is a different color. The story repeats a pattern where each animal "sees" the next animal until the goldfish sees the teacher, the teacher sees the children, and the children see everyone else.

Why we like it:
My son loves the brightly colored animals on the white background of each page. He particularly likes looking at the last page which shows all of the animals and the teacher. This is the first book that he "read" to himself as a young baby. He would sit in his car seat turning the pages, gazing at the colorful pictures, and talking to the animals.

I enjoy reading this story to my son because it is a great teaching tool. First we talked about the names of the animals. Then we talked about the sound each animal makes. Now, we are focusing on the names of the colors. The sing-song phrasing of the story makes it fun to read as well.

Suggested Age Range:
We received a copy of this popular story before my son was born, so it was one of the first books we read to him. He has shown an interest in the pictures for as long as I can remember. He even learned how to turn pages with this book. At 17 months, he just recently started to lose interest in the story. I actually doubt that he is too old for it. We've probably just read it so much that he is finally tired of it!

Additional Details:
Copyright 1967
Henry Holt and Company
ISBN 978-0-8050-4790-5
$7.95

Good Dog, Carl

Good Dog, Carl
by Alexandra Day

What it's about:
This is a story about the adventures of a baby and his dog, Carl. The baby's mommy goes out for an errand and asks Carl to look after the baby. They get into all sorts of mischief while she is away, but they clean up the evidence before she gets home. For all she knows, they were resting in the nursery the whole time.

Why we like it:
As a new mommy, this book actually upset me the first time I read it. How could a mother leave her infant home alone with the dog? Once I forced myself to accept that this is a fiction story, I was able to see the fun in this book. The baby and the dog have a great time breaking the rules together.

There are very few words in this book. Only the first and last pages have any text. The rest of the story is up to the reader to interpret. This is the biggest reason why I enjoy reading it - the storyline is different every time. I think my son likes it for this reason as well, and he also likes watching the baby get away with all sorts of "no-nos!"

Suggested Age Range:
We started reading this story when my son was about a year old. He would actually read it to himself in the playpen while I took my shower. Sometimes I would peek out the bathroom door and see him smiling at the pictures! The illustrations are a bit complicated, so I think a younger reader wouldn't be able to pick out the details as well. Now that my son is 17 months old, he looks as each picture for a long time and seems to study the details. I think he will enjoy it for several more months before he outgrows it.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1986
Little Simon
ISBN 978-0-689-80748-0
$6.99

Binky

Binky

by Leslie Patricelli

What it's about:
This silly board book is a story about a baby who lost his binky. The baby looks in all the usual hiding places, and even asks his pet fishy, doggy, and mommy to help. Eventually, Daddy and the baby find the binky in his crib - just where he likes it best.

Why we like it:
My son loves his binkies. He sleeps with four of them at a time (a strange habit, I know) and would like to have them all day long. Much to his chagrin, he is only allowed to have his binkies when he goes to sleep. I like this book because it reinforces the message that the binky is for sleeping in a playful and non-preachy way. My son likes the repetitive phrasing and the simple, brightly colored pictures. He also loves to point out the lost binky in the crib at the end of the story.

Suggested Age Range:
We checked out this book from the library when my son was about one year old. However, I think it would have been appropriate several months earlier - possibly when he was as young as 6 months. He loved the book at one year, and we just checked it out again at 17 months. He still loves it. I think we will enjoy this story until my son says goodbye to his binkies, which is hopefully reasonably soon!

Additional Details:
Copyright 2005
Candlewick Press
ISBN 0-7636-2364-4
$6.99

How Are You Peeling?

How Are You Peeling?
Foods with Moods

by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers

What it's about:
This unique and colorful book teaches about emotions. The authors used fruits and vegetables to create sculptures showing a wide range of human feelings. The story line is essentially a list of everyday experiences (such as waiting for a late friend or meeting someone new) and the variety of emotions associated with them. The photographs really tell the story with their vibrant colors and the realistic expressions on the sculptures' faces.

Why we like it:
My son and I both find this book absolutely fascinating. It is amazing how you can look at the pictures and really believe that an orange can feel worried or a pepper can feel confused. My son is just beginning to identify feelings, and I think this book is helping him associate more words with his emotions. The expressions on the sculptures' faces are highly defined, so I think this book is a great way to help children learn about feelings. Some of the emotions are a bit advanced for my son (such as timid or bold), but most of them are perfectly appropriate for a 17-month-old (like happy, sad, and shy). This is a beautiful story for both children and adults, and I love reading it with my son.

Suggested Age Range:
My son started taking this book off my bookshelf when he was about 15 months old. I had discovered it in my early 20s and my husband bought it for me. When we first started reading it with my son, he was fascinated by the colorful pictures of the fruits and vegetables. When he was about 16 months old, he learned the word "happy" and started pointing out the happy faces. Now, at about 17 months, we have started talking about the other emotions. I imagine that it will take my son a long time to outgrow this story. It's possible that he will enjoy it for many, many more years. As I mentioned, I picked it out for the first time as an adult!

Additional Details:
Copyright 1999
Scholastic Press
ISBN 0-439-10431-9
$15.95

Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown

What it's about:
This children's classic is a story about saying goodnight to a variety of things and animals in a baby bunny's bedroom. The narrator identifies all of the objects in the the first half of the book, and then says goodnight to them in the second half. The story reads like a poem and is both repetitive and predictable.

Why we like it:
To be honest, this book would never have made my list of "Best Baby Books" when I first started reading it with my son. I thought the pictures were dark and the story was uninteresting. However, I have grown to love this book more and more each time we read it. Now it is definitely one of my favorites and my son's as well. Perhaps it is because of the simple rhymes and peaceful storyline, or perhaps it is because of the detailed pictures of the bunny's bedroom. There is always something new to discover when we look at the bedroom scene. Whatever the reasons, this story has become a cherished part of our nightly routine.

Suggested Age Range:
We started reading this book to my son when he was a newborn. He clearly didn't understand much of it then, but I'm glad we started reading it so early in his life. Now he knows the story inside and out, and I think his familiarity is a big reason why he enjoys it. It is hard to predict when he will outgrow it, but I would guess by around age 3 or 4.

Additional Details:
We have the board book, although a traditional hardcover version is also available.
Original Copyright 1947
HarperFestival
ISBN 978-0694003617
$7.99

Black & White

Black & White
by Tana Hoban

What it's about:
This fold-out book is a compilation of simple black and white silhouettes. The pictures include everyday objects such as keys, a leaf, buttons, a bird, a fork and spoon, and a cat. There are no written words and the pictures are not organized as if to tell a story.

Why we like it:
I think the simplicity of this book is what makes it so great. The black and white images caught my son's attention when he was only a few weeks old. The pictures also depict everyday objects that fascinate babies. What infant isn't captivated by keys or balloons?! The book's fold-out format is also unique and entertaining. When opened, it is about as long as my arms can reach. This is a surprising way to read a story and fun for my child.

Suggested Age Range:
When my son was just weeks old, we would unfold this book and place it next to him on the floor. At that age, he was fascinated with black and white images, so this was a perfect way to keep him entertained. Now that he is older, we play a game where he points to the objects that we name. Soon, I expect that he will name the objects and ask us to point to them! I estimate that he will outgrow the book sometime before the age of two.

Additional Details:
Copyright 2007
Greenwillow Books
ISBN 978-0-06-117211-3
$7.99

Blue Hat, Green Hat

Blue Hat, Green Hat
by Sandra Boynton

What it's about:
This is a wacky board book about colors and types of clothing. If you are familiar with Sandra Boynton, you will recognize her wacky sense of humor. The animals in this book try on different colored pieces of clothing, and some of them wear the clothes on the wrong parts of their bodies. One animal even wears all his clothes in the pool!

Why we like it:
This book is just plain fun. Now that my son knows where "a hat goes" and where "pants go," he thinks this book is silly and entertaining. He also participates in the reading by pointing out and saying the words for "hat" and "shirt." He sometimes says "Oops!" in the correct places too. It's possible my son is learning something about colors from this book, but the highlight for me is the laughs we share as we read it together.

Suggested Age Range:
We got this book when my son was almost 15 months old. He understood the humor then, and it's possible that a younger child would as well. Part of his current enjoyment comes from his ability to participate by saying the words for objects he knows. I think that he will like the book even more as he learns to recognize and say his colors too.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1984
Little Simon
ISBN 978-0-671-49320-2
$5.99

Where's Spot?

Where's Spot?

by Eric Hill

What it's about:
It is Spot's supper time and he is nowhere to be found. This lift-the-flap book is a game of hide-and-seek to join Spot's mommy in looking for him. As Sally searches, she finds a monkey in the closet, a hippo in the piano, a turtle under the rug, and other animals in other surprising places. Eventually, she finds Spot and he eats his supper like a good puppy!

Why we like it:
This is one of my son's all-time favorite books. In fact, he loves it so much that we've already worn out our original copy and are reading a new one. Each page looks significantly different from the next. This keeps the book engaging over multiple reads - even if the child can't lift the flaps on their own. My son and I also like talking about the animals that Sally finds on her search. This book has been a fun way to practice "what the snake says" and "what the lion says" as well.

Suggested Age Range:
We started reading this book when my son was about 6 months old. Although he couldn't lift the flaps by himself at that point, he still liked looking at the pictures and "finding" Spot at the end. When he got a little older, he loved lifting the flaps, but often ripped them in his excitement. Now (at 16+ months) he can lift the flaps without ripping them, and he still enjoys reading this book again and again.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1980
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN 978-0-399-24046-1
$7.99

Are You My Mother?

Are You My Mother?
by P.D. Eastman

What it's about:
A mother bird goes off to find food for her baby who is about to hatch. The baby bird is born before she returns. Upon hatching, the baby decides to leave the nest in search of his missing mother. He meets several characters on his adventure and eventually finds his way home to his nest and his mommy.

Why we like it:
I remember reading this book with my own mother when I was young, so it is particularly special to me. I am thrilled that my son loves it as well. The simple pictures and repetitive phrasing catch his attention every time we read it. He also gets excited when the mommy and baby are reunited at the end. Naturally, his reaction makes me happy too!

Suggested Age Range:
We started reading this book when my son was about 9 months old and it's still a favorite at 16+ months. We have both the board book and original hard-bound versions of this story. I would suggest starting with the shorter, board book version for young babies. The original version is best for older children with longer attention spans and who won't rip the pages.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1960
Random House
ISBN 0-394-80018-4 (hard-bound)
$8.99
ISBN 0-679-89047-5 (board book)
$4.99

Toes, Ears, & Nose!

Toes, Ears, & Nose!
by Marion Dane Bauer
illustrated by Karen Katz

What it's about:
This colorful lift-the-flap book teaches about the parts of the body. The body parts are hidden under the narrator's clothing, which the reader lifts to uncover each part.

Why we like it:
This book is a great way to learn the parts of the body. My son loves to point to each body part in the book, then to the same part on himself, then to the same on me. His favorite part to uncover is the tongue! The lift-the-flaps are also relatively sturdy so as to withstand my son's not-so-gentle handling.

Suggested Age Range:
My son received this book as a gift when he was about 1 year old. He loved it then and still loves it at 16+ months. I think children as young as 6 months would enjoy it.

Additional Details:
Copyright 2003
Little Simon
ISBN 0-689-84712-2
$6.99

Good Night Gorilla

Good Night Gorilla

by Peggy Rathmann

What it's about:
An oblivious zoo keeper makes his rounds saying goodnight to the animals. Little does he know that the gorilla has stolen his keys and is letting his friends out of their cages. They follow the zoo keeper back to his house and sneak into his bedroom. His wife discovers their uninvited guests and takes the animals back to their own beds...or so she thinks!

Why we like it:
1) There are actually very few words in this simple story. This makes it easy for the reader to improvise and engage the child according to their development level and interests.
2) The brightly colored illustrations are captivating. There are new things to discover on each page every time you read it. My son likes to find the "hidden" balloons and moons!

Suggested Age Range:
We checked this book out of the library when my son was about 15 months old. He probably would have enjoyed it much earlier than that, although his ability to find the details in pictures has really blossomed recently. So, younger children might not find the book as captivating as he does.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1994
Putnam Oversized Board Book Edition, 2004
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN 978-0-399-24260-1
$12.99