‘BABY BOOKS ARE A NECESSITY’ (Pamela Paul and Maria Russo, NY TIMES)
It is World Book Day on the 7th March 2019, so here is a blog based on this to get BIG and LITTLE people all over the nation reading. You are never too young for books! Read out loud, every day, any book.
Did you know?
Reading to your Newborn baby is an easy and obvious way to expose them to language. Reading gives parents something to talk about. For those of you who feel shy or silly talking about the everyday world to a nonverbal baby. You can pick up a book and instantly launch into lively language.
Furthermore, the rhythm, repetition and rhyme of children’s books helps lay down the neural networks that your little one will need for reading.
Did you know that many of us adults think that children under one are too young to be read to? Not only is it a nice way to give your little one a bedtime routine – we know that your little one may wake up more during the night to feed. However, Bedtime stories are a lovely way to relax you and your little one. So why not make it fun? Pick a book that you like too. There are some beautifully illustrated books out there – anything illustrated by Quentin Blake gets our vote here. Try to read diverse books too, such as Barefoot Books, this collection will help to spark exploration and creativity as your little one develops.
Here are some recommendations for Mum from Wendy Kirk – librarian at the Women’s Library (Mitchell Library):
Newborn by Kate Clanchy
https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/kate-clanchy/newborn/9781509851409
Expecting by Chitra Ramaswamy – a memoir about pregancy:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/19/expecting-chitra-ramaswarmy-review-pregnant-body
Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie review – a feminist manifesto
This is a lovely wee book!
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2011/jan/18/best-poems-babies
Waterstones Book Shop, Newton Mearns recommended the following for Dad:
Raising Boys and Raising Girls – both by Steve Biddulph
Dummy by Matt Coyne
For your little one:
Where’s Mr Duck? by Ingela Arrhenius
That’s not my Bee… Fiona Watt
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World by Kate Pankhurst
Little People, Big Dreams Dreams series – discover the lives of outstanding people from designers and artists to scientists. All of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream.
Hairy Mcleary from Donaldson’s Dairy by Lynley Dodd
Anything by ERIC CARLE – beautiful board books that will be enjoyed over and over again.
What books do you remember as a child reading?
Just looking in a book shop will spark memories from when you were a child and being read to and of course reading yourself.
What did you enjoy? Please comment below.
