. Welcome, Baby by Barbara Reid (Scholastic, Toronto) $10
. Zoe's Year by Barbara Reid (Scholastic, Toronto) $10
. Good Night, I Love You by Caroline Jayne Church (Scholastic, N.Y.) $10
WHO cares about rain! Look on it as a great opportunity to snuggle up with that baby in the family and grab a few cuddles while you share some books.
There are many wonderful board books available now as the value of early literacy has been the subject of much research. Here are some good ones to share as often as possible.
Welcome, Baby with its vibrant, glowing Plasticene illustrations is a perfect present for a newborn. The use of this medium gives a three-dimensional effect to the pictures and catapults the reader right into the centre of the action. Barbara Reid has won every major Canadian book award over the years for her stories and amazing art. In her most recent book we follow the plans of a besotted family as they consider all the wonderful things they will be able to do with their small infant. By the end of the story the baby has grown into a toddler happily walking away with his parents. Because a variety of family ethnicities are included in the illustrations this is truly a book for everyone. Many of the experiences common to families with a tiny child are included here - reading, playing and fooling around outside at the playground, yard or park. The rhyming text is just as joyful and upbeat as the illustrations. Great for all new parents!
Zoe's Year, also by Barbara Reid is a reissue in one board book of four books about the seasons published more than 20 years ago. Red-headed Zoe is an exuberant toddler who loves to explore her neighbourhood in all sorts of weather. She splashes in puddles, swings on a swing, snoozes in her stroller and toboggans down a snowy hill. Most small children will relate to all of the activities. The very brief accompanying text describes the scenes, suggests an action or wonders where Zoe plans to go. The original books were light and perfect for tiny hands unlike this heavier anthology. Fortunately, they are also still available as they really are small treasures.
Good Night, I Love You is a board book with soft padded covers. The text describes the various aspects of getting ready for bed. A smiling toddler boy and his sister cheerily gather up their stuffed toys, hop in the bath, brush their teeth and and share a bedtime book before snuggling down to sleep.
The focus of the illustrations is always on the charming cosily drawn characters and there is little or no background detail. The pages change from pastel orange to green to nighttime blue at the end of the story. This bucolic vision of how bedtime plays out may be slightly foreign to some parents but perhaps it will influence that reluctant-to-go-to-sleep person in your life into emulating this very positive bedtime experience!
Fran Ashdown worked for many years as the head of the children's department at the Capilano branch of the North Vancouver District Public Library. She is looking forward to sharing board books with her brand new grandson. For more information check your local libraries.
