Read to Your Baby

My friend is having a baby today.  I am so happy for the new family.  The best advice I can give the new parents is that it is important to read to your baby even when he is very little.  Let they baby hear your voice. Let the baby hear the sound of our beautiful language.  The baby's brain is developing rapidly.  By the time the baby reaches his first birthday he will have learned all the sounds necessary to speak his native language.  In this case, maybe two languages. The more stories you read aloud to your infant, the more words he will be exposed to.  He will understand spoken language better.  He will pick up new vocabulary so much faster.  The baby will become familiar with the way we express emotions with our voices.

What should you read?  Read books that you like.  Read books about everyday experiences of eating, getting dressed, going for a walk, and visiting the zoo.  Read books with rhyme and repetetive phrases.  Read funny books.  Read books about how much you love your baby.

Here are some of my favorite books to read to your baby.

Where is Baby's Belly Button by Karen Katz
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
A Kiss for You by Joan Holub
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
I'm A Little Teapot by Iza Trapani
Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson
Papa Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Owen by Kevin Henkes
Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
1,2 Buckle My Shoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines