Reading with Daddy in the Sun
There is nothing better than curling up in the sun with a good book and Ned loves it too. His favourite book of the moment is from a series by Dorling Kindersley called Peekaboo. We have Baby says Peekaboo and Peekaboo Playtime. They are photographic and have the most gorgeous babies in them as well as touchy feely bits and pieces. I had always been quite sceptical of these sorts of books because there are so many on the market and some are quite grainy and el cheapo, these are $14.95 each so not cheap but they are worth it. Ned now anticipates the PEEKABOO when you open the flaps and he even gets excited when I get the books out especially when we are somewhere that he doesn’t expect like the doctors surgery or the park. Peekaboo Baby has a mirror in the back which Ned adores and it now has copious amounts of dribble on it from where he tries to kiss himself, it is so much fun to watch.
TOP 5 BOOKS FOR BABY…
Where is the Green Sheep (Mem Fox and Judy Horacek) – Winner of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Early Childhood Picture Book 2005 Fox and Horacek have created a ‘cult classic’ for babies. The rhyming text is a joy to read aloud and the length is perfect for baby’s attention span. Judy Horaceks’ beautiful watercolour illustrations of these funny sheep doing crazy things mirror the text perfectly. Available in board book and hardcover.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Bill Martin Jnr and Eric Carle) – Another all time classic based on rhythmic repetition with plenty of identifiable animals and colours. Babies can anticipate what is coming next and you can incorporate the noises of the animals as you go. Carle’s beautiful, bold collage illustrations that are so recognisable make this a must for every child’s bookshelf. Available in board book and paperback.
Moo, Baa, La La La (Sandra Boynton) – Sanda Boynton is one of my all time favourites. Her gorgeous style of illustration gives the characters so much personality and her text is always fun and whimsical which makes it great to read dramatically. These little board books are also perfect for little hands to hold and suck. Available in board book.
Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings (Matthew Van Fleet) – This is the best touchy feely book that has been published. Every page has a different animal, even fuzzy gray koalas, and each animal has a different texture to touch and feel. Van Fleet has created this book like a graphic designer with stark white pages that frame the illustration and simple bold black text, this look enhances the reading pleasure for little ones with surprises on every page. Available in hardcover.
I Went Walking (Sue Machin and Julie Vivas) – This is another all time favourite and another beautiful melding of rhythmic repetitious text plus the most amazing dreamy illustrations. A little boy goes for a walk on the farm and gathers up a menagerie of animals on the way. On each page there is a partial glimpse of the next animal adding to the anticipation. Available in board book and paperback.
