Begin at the Beginning: Board Book Delights & Good Book Habits

Do you cherish these board-book-filled days as much as I do?  They’re sweet and tender aren’t they?  We’re all preparing the soil in these delight-filled early years, and it is no less important that we do so with sweet and sturdy little books that are inviting and build the imagination with the good, true and beautiful.

I’m often asked about our favorite board books, and I thought I’d share some of our treasures with you – maybe a few of these ideas will give your reading basket a hopeful start.  You’re beginning, right now in these earliest of years, to rebuild the culture!  Yes, that’s right – without a curriculum, without a scope and sequence, without overthinking it – one small basket of thoughtfully chosen books is all that is needed to begin to prepare their imaginations…beginning with the good.

There are many ways to begin to open doors to delight – in imaginative play, working purposefully alongside mom and dad, and plenty of time with little books.  You’ll start right here, sitting for short moments, building and stretching little bits at a time so that your little one begins to engage – lovely pictures, beautiful and simple words, and sing-song rhymes.  These are the foundations upon which a rich and fertile imagination begins to grow so that one day, having been prepared by Hickory Dickory Dock and Home For a Bunny, your child is ready for the more sophisticated poetry of the Psalms or Shakespeare.

{Charlotte Mason, Home Education, p. 161}

It can be discouraging – your perfect little basket of books, a comfy chair, sunlight coming through the windows at exactly the right angle, a quiet moment which seems to beg for this idyllic moment you’ve built up in your mind – and your toddler wants nothing to do with sitting still in your lap to read.  Be patient!  Here are some ideas for beginning with an eye toward the reality of the curious and active toddler.

• Sit on the floor!  Little people like it when you’re with them, in their space.  Sit down, grab a book and start reading.  Perhaps your little one will wander over out of curiosity, perhaps not.  Either way, you’re filling the moment with your voice tenderly allowing the words in the book to become a part of that space.
• Read the little book as if it is the first time you’ve ever encountered that book.  Allow yourself to be engaged.  Your open-ness to the wonder and delight in that little book will be attractive.
• Don’t put board books on a shelf – keep them in a basket or a sturdy bag and low enough that little one can bring a book to you.  {Save your shelf space for big kid and adult books.}  Build a thoughtful little library of board books so that you can have a few in each room.
• Don’t set out your entire collection of board books all at once!  Be choosy!  Set out 5 – 6 sweet little books at a time in a small basket.  Too many books usually equals –> pile and throw and toss and chew.  One small little basket of just a few books is easier to manage.  I like to set mine out by season, or by theme – so all the fall, pumpkin board books will be out soon.  We just had a bunny theme set out.  There are no rules here, really.  Your selection could be random, or if you’re just starting to collect, it might be small!  Smallish is very attractive to little hands!
• Their dear little attention spans are not long, so don’t be discouraged if you get through a page – one page – and your little one is ready to move on.  That’s ok!  Good habits start very small!!  One little page today, maybe a page and a half tomorrow, two pages the next…and so on!  The point is — be content with small and build from there.
• Be choosy!  There are so many board books out there, and here is where you will have the first opportunity to choose worthy and delightful books.  You’ll meet authors that will be friends for a lifetime if you choose well.  You certainly don’t have to be a board book snob, but if you have a quantity of board books with characters from Nickelodeon, you may want to reconsider a few, move them along, and begin to introduce books which delight the senses and inspire the imagination – worthy little books!

And then…start with simple little book rules right now.  When your little one starts to abuse or misuse a board book, there’s no need to be apoplectic or even scolding – simple and gentle little actions and words will help to begin to set a tone of respecting family books.  Simple stuff, really!  But it begins to lay a foundation of treating things with respect and general tidiness.  Moms of littles, these are habits you want to start building now!  Trust me!

• If little one begins to chew on a book –> remove the book and gently say, “we don’t eat our books {smile}” and hand little one a chewy toy.
  • You ask: What if baby throws a fit because I took the chewy-delicious-heavenly-cardboard book away?  That’s ok.  Again, no need to go ballistic.  Let little one express his/her displeasure.  They do not get the book back though, nor do they get your attention until they’re done throwing the fit.  No bargaining, no begging, cajoling, pleading – no nothing.  Just let them be and walk away…of course, staying within reasonable distance to ensure things are safe.
• If little one throws the books –> start collecting books and putting them back in the basket {remember this is easier to do if you’ve only set out a small collection rather than all 160 board books that you own} and say, “Oh dear, we must be done reading.  We don’t throw our books.”
  • You ask: What if baby throws a fit because I took the book away?  See above measures.  Stay calm, don’t get upset or take it personally.  You just rained on little one’s parade.  Into each life a little rain must fall!!
• One time, each day, cheerfully announce, “It’s tidy time!” and let your little one help you pick up books and stack them back in the basket.
  • You ask:  What if my little one absolutely, positively REFUSES to help tidy her little toys and books?  Time to learn!  First off, make sure your toy area doesn’t have enough toys and books to stock 5 aisles of Toys-R-Us!  I’d be overwhelmed by that, too!  Just a couple of simple baskets of toys is all that is needed at one time!  And one simple basket of books!  Now, take little one’s hand, and gently guide them to one book, pick it up, put it in the basket. Speak cheerfully and sing-songy – make a fun song out of tidying together.  Most little ones LOVE to help mommy!

The following is a list of some of our treasured board books.  Not all are in print, so I’ll try to link you to vendors that offer the book at a good price.  {Full Disclosure:  Most links go through my Amazon Affiliates account.  Thank you!}

These are classic gems:

• Home For a Bunny – Margaret Wise Brown
• Goodnight Moon – Margaret Wise Brown
• Big Red Barn – Margaret Wise Brown
• Fuzzy Duckling – Jane Werner Watson
• Baby Farm Animals – Garth Williams
• The Little House – Virginia Lee Burton
• Animal Sounds by Aurelius Battaglia
• 1 is One by Tasha Tudor
• A Tale For Easter by Tasha Tudor
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? – Bill Martin, Jr. & Eric Carle
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle {other board books by Eric Carle}
• I am a Little Bear – Francois Crozat {other books in this series by Francois Crozat
• Animal Babies – Dickinson/Bonforte
• Pat the Bunny – Dorothy Kunhardt
• I Am a Bunny by Ole Risom

Eloise Wilkin has always been a favorite author/illustrator of ours.  Her board books are no exception.

• Nursery Rhymes – Eloise Wilkin
• My Goodnight Book by Eloise Wilkin
• Eloise Wilkin’s Poems To Read to the Very Young – Eloise Wilkin

The Beatrix Potter board books are an excellent introduction to Miss Potter’s delightful tales!  These would be excellent for older toddlers and each of these retain Miss Potter’s original illustrations and story!

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
• The Tale of Jemima Puddle Duck by Beatrix Potter
• Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter
• Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter
• Meet Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

Out of print lift-the-flap books by Sweetwater Press.  These are such delights if you can find them!

• Bunny In the Wild – illustrated by Maggie Brand
• Kitten in the Garden – illustrated by Maggie Brand
• Foal on the Farm – illustrated by Maggie Brand
• Puppy In the Woods – illustrated by Maggie Brand {hard to find}

Also out of print, but really delightful in simplicity and illustrations are the Look & See Books that are a part of the First Look Nature Books series.

• Bunny Sees – Hargrave Hands
• Duckling Sees – Hargrave Hands
• Little Lamb Sees – Hargrave Hands
• Puppy Sees – Hargrave Hands

The following books are relatively new, but the idea is simple, the books are based on literary characters {Baby Lit Books} or famous artists {Mini Masters}.  The Mini Masters contain collections of each artist and a very simple poem connects the art pieces through the book.  The Baby Lit series takes counting or opposites or letters, etc., and weaves the literary characters in the theme.  I find both series quite charming!

• A Picnic With Monet – Julie Merberg
• In the Garden With Van Gogh – Julie Merberg
• Dancing With Degas – Julie Merberg
• Sharing With Renoir – Julie Merberg
• Painting With Picasso – Julie Merberg
• Quiet Time With Cassat – Julie Merberg
• Sunday With Seurat – Julie Merberg
• A Magical Day With Matisse – Julie Merberg
• Dreaming With Rousseau – Julie Merberg
• On An Island With Gaugin – Julie Merberg

• Pride and Prejudice: A BabyLit Counting Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Alice In Wonderland: A BabyLit Colors Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Jungle Book: A BabyLit Animals Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Romeo and Juliet: A BabyLit Counting Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Jane Eyre: A BabyLit Counting Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Wuthering Heights: A BabyLit Counting Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Sherlock Holmes: A BabyLit Sounds Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Moby Dick: A BabyLit Ocean Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Anna Karenina: A BabyLit Fashion Primer – Jennifer Adams
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A BabyLit Camping Primer – Jennifer Adams
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A BabyLit Colors Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Frankenstein: A BabyLit Anatomy Primer – Jennifer Adams
• A Christmas Carol: A BabyLit Colors Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Jabberwocky: A BabyLit Nonsense Primer – Jennifer Adams
• Sense and Sensibility: A BabyLit Opposites Primer – Jennifer Adams

And…just because it’s one of my favorite times of the year – Autumn Picture Books

• The Little Pumpkin Book – Katy Bratun
• The Busy Little Squirrel – Nancy Tafuri
• Apples and Pumpkins – Anne Rockwell

I am very picky about children’s illustrations when it comes to conveying the faith.  I do NOT like it when Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the prophets, patriarchs and apostles are portrayed in cartoony-style art.  Therefore, I’m only linking the very few board books I recommend.

• The Saving Name of God the Son – Jean Ann Sharpe {art by Fra Angelico}
• My Little Book About God – Jane Werner Watson
• Who Is Coming to our House? – Joseph Slate  {Christmas}
• Prayers For Children: Little Golden Treasures – {illustrated} Eloise Wilkin
• Prayer For a Child – Rachel Field, {illustrated} Elizabeth Orton Jones

And one last recommendation…

• Babybug – Though these are not technically board books, my littles have truly enjoyed this sturdy, smallish magazine-like baby book that arrives monthly.  The pages are small and easily turnable.  There are nursery rhymes, clapping games, and simple stories. {In the pictures above, my Lauren is holding and enjoying one of the Babybug magazines}  They’re also easy to tuck in a bag for a day out of the house!  We like bringing the older, familiar BabyBug magazine-books because my little one is familiar with the story and sometimes when you’re out in unfamiliar spaces having a familiar book friend is comforting.  With some care (nothing crazy!  I mean, our little Babybug mags have folds and creases – they’re loved!) this set can last through a few children.  We’re on a second toddler with one set of Babybug books.

---

---

 

Please do share with me any of your favorite board books!  I’m always looking for a few more treasures {especially with Christmas and birthdays coming up}, and I know others will check in and enjoy as well!  If I didn’t list one of your favorites, share with me!