We introduced stories to M when she was a week-old baby. Her grandpa told her made-up stories of lions and bears and elephants and birds and rabbits. Such was the power of these stories that she started responding to them when she was just 42 days old.
I had made up my mind then – I would get her books, lots and lots of books!
Hope our experience helps your kiddos in their reading journeys.🤗
The first book I got her was a cloth book at 3 months. She explored it to her heart’s content until she was about 7 months. Other books took a priority, but she still reaches out for this every now and then.
Our book has endured multiple rounds of machine wash alongwith a lot of chewing and a bit of peeing as well.😀
It has colourful pictures of animals and gives baby an opportunity to touch and explore different textures. Definite first buy!
I bought this set of 20 books when M was of 6.5 months. It was a gamble that paid off quite well. We read these a lot of times throughout the day with M choosing which book she wanted us to read next. Absolutely recommend!
This was the set that made M fall in love with her books. At 10 months she could sit with these for an hour at a time!
3. The Jungle Book, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Peter Pan
First Stories is a great set of books. Vivid colours to attract the younger ones and push, pull, slide interaction for slightly older ones. Good quality, great buy to keep the little ones engaged! We got these at 7 months.
4. Peppa Pig Fairy Tale Little Library
This was our first set of Peppa Pig books bought at 7 months. I have no idea why, but babies love Peppa Pig and Baby M was no exception! These are tiny palm sized books, perfect for little baby hands.
I never knew about the variety of books available for babies and how does one go about choosing the correct ones. I came across KBC and it changed our reading world.
This is a beautiful bedtime read. It has a small baby sized book as well for little hands to explore. Every page has a Mumma and a Baby Animal and a little rhyme to sing along. The little book is not very sturdy and ours has separated after 5/6months of not-so-subtle use (I would still recommend it). But the book has served its purpose. M knows it is time to sleep when the baby animals go to sleep.
M was of 9.5 months when she was introduced to Eric Carles’ Books. Do go for these without batting an eyelid.
6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar wonderfully introduces the concepts of food, counting and days of the week. I had no idea what a cocoon was until I was in 6/7th grade. And Baby M has been saying and pointing out the caterpillar’s cocoon since she was all of 11 months!
7. The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Thanks to Very Busy Spider, M knows that a spider has 8 legs and loves making animal sounds on each page. Also on the last page, she promptly keeps her head on the book to show how the spider slept after a long day.
8. Where is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz
This is a wonderful book by Karen Katz. The peek-a-boo on each page is so fun. Between this and ‘Counting Kisses’, M could recognise all body parts by the time she was 12.5 months! The illustrations are adorable and I am sure younger babies would also enjoy reading this one.
You can find all of Karen Katz books here on Amazon.
9. Counting kisses by Karen Katz
We still read it everyday and M recognises the body part on each page. On parts she can reach, like her toes, hands, knees – she kisses herself. And on parts she cannot reach like her chin , nose, eyes- she points them and waits for me to kiss.
Melts my heart each day. 🥰
Although it is a bedtime read, we read it whenever we feel like it. Who can deny a few extra kisses?
I got this next set of books for baby’s first birthday. I wanted to add a little variety to our collection and kbc came to the rescue. Here’s one push, pull, slide book, one touch and feel book, one sound book and one puppet book.
10. Busy Railway
Campbell Busy Books series does not have a story but introduces the world around us. I usually go for books that talk about M’s current interests. So Busy Railway was bought at 12 months. Baby loooves trains and the sounds we make. When we open the book she points her finger towards everybody, one person at a time, and we ALL have to make the train sounds.
This series is good for helping our babies explore the world. I have noticed that the push, pull, slide tabs of Busy Books are easier for the baby as compared to the First Stories series.
11. Play with Peppa! A Puppet Play Book
Baby M started dancing as soon as she saw the puppet book, all the while chanting ‘Peppa Peppa’. This was an instant hit. We only had 6 small board books of Peppa Pig before, and surprisingly she could immediately recognise the puppet princess. M loves it and holds Peppa’s hands and makes her clap. You can use the puppet to tell other stories as well. A really good buy!
There are many puppet books available that help make reading sessions all the more fun!
12. Fluffy Kitten by Rod Campbell
As soon as Baby touched Fluffy Kitten, she said ‘Sof Sof’. It took me a few seconds to understand she was saying ‘Soft Soft’. We usually touch her blanket and say soft soft. She, on her own, using her little mind, correlated the two things and was saying that the cat is soft soft.
No wonder touch and feel books are a hit with babies. This one has a mirror as well and we have so much fun making faces looking into it.
For the sound book I went for happy birthday as Baby M loves clapping her hands to this song since her Masi’s birthday. We are so obsessed with the birthday song that our neighbours actually asked us one day whose birthday do we celebrate every day🤷♀️.Whenever she sees balloons, or banners, or hears the song, she immediately starts clapping her hands. To my surprise, she is also trying to blow the candles in the book. Ends up kissing the book instead; but I am not complaining!
14. Moo, Baa, La la La by Sandra Boynton
M got this as a KBC Secret Santa gift. She made me read this to her for an hour straight on the very first day! Made me wonder why I did not get her a Boynton at 10/11 months instead!
The book size is perfect for a baby and there is a certain charm about the illustrations. Do get a Boynton Board Book early on.
All the books in our house are at M’s disposal. She shows as much interest in Madhushala as in Harry Potter. Who am I to restrict her then?
I have realised, that a free reign was crucial in developing her interest and love. M has her own bookshelf now, with all her books easily reachable. She is her own master, deciding which book to read and when. She still doesn’t listen to the entire story or stick to one book at a time, but that wasn’t my intention anyways.
She recognises the characters, is aware of what is happening on all pages, relates similar animals in different books, knows all body parts, talks non stop, even tries to read on her own. What more could I ask for?!
To more books in 2021! 🥂
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