ShareThisChoosing good books for babies and toddlers isn't an easy task.
Books must be age-appropriate, which generally means bold colors and simple or no text for the youngest readers. Books also must be sturdy so that tiny hands and teeth can't destroy them; board books are a particularly good choice for babies for this reason.
And because parents will be reading -- repeatedly -- these books to their little ones, the text and illustrations should be interesting enough to make read-aloud time fun for adults as well as children.
Fortunately, there's a wonderful guide to the best books for babies and toddlers for parents, the annual "Best Books for Babies" published by a Pittsburgh literacy group called Beginning With Books (www.beginningwithbooks.org).
Each year, a group of children's-literature and child-development experts sponsored by Beginning With Books sifts through the thousands of books published each year to come up with a "Top 10" list for babies and toddlers. Beginning With Books began the "Best Books For Babies" lists 10 years ago, with inspiration from the late Fred Rogers, a Pittsburgh native.
Today the "Best Books For Babies" list remains the only American literary award devoted specifically to books for the youngest readers. The Caldecott Medal is given each year to the best illustrated book for children, but committee members must consider books suitable for children through age 14. As a result, many Caldecott Medal winners just don't work for babies and toddlers.
On its Web site, Beginning With Books offers valuable tips for books that do work for the youngest readers. For example, the group's experts say that "a story should sound good when read aloud," "a book should encourage reader participation and interaction" and "the illustrations should be a perfect match for the text."
Two other important considerations: children's books "should be free from gender, ethnic, racial and religious stereotypes," and children should have access to books that "reflect their own lives and experiences, as well as books depicting the diversity of the larger society."
Beginning With Books has just released its 2009 "Best Books For Babies" list. To celebrate the list's 10 anniversary, the group also has published a list of 25 favorites over the past decade, collected in a "Best of the Best Books For Babies" list.
Here's a closer look at this year's top 10 list. The books are listed alphabetically. Comments about the books are taken from the group's Web site:
1. "1, 2, Buckle My Shoe" (Harcourt, $16), written and illustrated by Anna Grossnickle Hines. This book offers "beautiful quilted pictures" to illustrate a familiar rhyme.
2. "All About Me!" (DK, $4.99) by Dawn Sirett. "Sturdy flaps flip up, down and sideways to reveal endearing photos of babies and toddlers showing off their skills."
3. "Baby Signs: A Baby-Sized Guide to Speaking with Sign Language" (Dial, $6.99), illustrated by Joy Allen. This book is a "cheerful collection of basic signs" that will "encourage communication between babies and their parents."
4. "Calm & Soothe" (Child's Play, $4.99), illustrated by Sanja Rescek. In this book, "sweet pictures and clear instructions accompany simple rhymes and lullabies. ..."
5. "Haiku Baby" (Random House, $6.99), written and illustrated by Betsy Snyder. "Brief, imaginative poems are matched with cheerful illustrations to celebrate the natural world and introduce young listeners to poetic images."
6. "Just Like You" (Dutton, $10.99), written and illustrated by Emma Dodd. This book provides a "gentle reminder that adults serve as role models for their children" as the author "catalogs the strengths that a young bear admires in his parents."
7. "Peekaboo Bedtime" (Putnam, $16.99), written and illustrated by Rachel Isadora. Peekaboo is "the perfect game for bedtime" as a toddler demonstrates with the help of family members.
8. "Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes" (Harcourt, $16), written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. "Adorable infants smile, giggle and play across the pages of this delightful book about the ways that babies from all over the world are different -- and alike."
9. "Toot Toot Beep Beep" (Boxer, $14.95), written and illustrated by Emma Garcia. All kinds of vehicles "speed, chug and slide through this imaginative look at a perennially popular topic."
10. "You & Me, Baby" (Knopf, $15.95 hardcover; $6.99 board book), written by Lynn Reiser, with photographs by Penny Gentieu. This book offers "engaging photos of babies and their parents," showing the "fun to be found in everyday activities."
(Karen MacPherson, the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library, can be reached at Kam.Macpherson(at)gmail.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)
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