Pat the Bunny, Honey!

Sure, they’re funny, but are those touchy-feely

baby books really worth the money?

By Gail Harlow

ou’re sitting with your infant in your lap, reading aloud for the 99th time: “Judy can pat the bunny, now YOU pat the bunny.”   And as you point to the soft white fabric insert for your baby to pat, you’re wondering: “How did I go from looking at my favorite newspaper or women’s magazine over coffee every morning to reading ‘Pat the Bunny’?” 

      No doubt about it: you’ve come a long way . . . .

      Probably, as you flip through the pages of Pat the Bunny  (Golden Books; $7.99) and the many other baby books you’ve been told are “must-reading” for infants these days, you’re also asking yourself, “Isn’t 6 months too young to be teaching the joys of reading?

      As you look at the price tags, generally ranging from $4.99 to $15.99, you’d certainly be justified in asking yourself, “Are these baby books worth the money?”

The Joys of Listening

            The experts say it’s never too early to provide stimulation for your baby.  Your infant won’t be able to follow the plot, but he’ll tune in to your voice and begin to develop an appreciation for the rhythms and sound of language. Most important, it’s been proven that the amount of verbal, visual and tactile stimulation a child gets in her first three years affects the development of her brain. By reading to your child as you hold her in your lap, you’re delivering all three forms of stimulation at once, and as she grows older she’ll benefit more from each reading.

      Here’s how babies’ cognitive “book learning” skills break down by age:

       As early as one month, and even before, a baby can focus on the bold patterns and shapes featured in soft, flexible crib books, gaining visual and mental stimulation from them.

    By 6 months, she will be able to hold board books in her hand—and probably try to consume them with her mouth. You can begin pointing to pictures and encouraging her to follow your finger and look at what you’re talking about.

      At 8 months, story time will quickly become interactive, with baby responding with her own sounds to the sounds you make.  She may even try to turn the pages, and she will begin to make strong connections between the patterns on the page and the sounds you are uttering.                           

Parlez Vous Baby Talk?

          Some type-A parents go so far as to read stories to their infants in foreign languages to expose them to a broader range of verbal stimuli. In this global economy, the practice makes sense:  Studies have shown that without this early exposure to different speech patterns, children will have greater difficulty learning foreign languages later on, and they won’t be able to speak them without an accent. 

       If you don’t want to read “The Little Prince” to your little princess in the original French version, you can at least introduce your baby to the concept of saying the same thing in different ways by using  the  colorful board book 10   (Hyperion; $6.95). Each page is illustrated with pop artist Keith Haring’s playful stick figures, and tells how to say the numbers one through 10 in English, Spanish, French and German.                            

Know When to Stop

                  Whatever you read, the key at all ages is to respect your infant’s attention span; if she begins to squirm and lose interest; it’s time to quit. Forcing babies to listen too long may create negative associations with books in their minds.

Are These Little Books Worth Big Money?

             There’s no doubt you can glean the same bonding and stimulation benefit from reading Vogue, Glamour, Making Bread or The New York Times out loud to your infant. But there are certain distinct advantages to age-specific baby books. 

• They are brightly colored, sturdy and just the right size for baby’s hands.  Dr. Seuss’s Book of Wonderful Noises: Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?  (Random House; $4.99) measures a compact 6 inches by 4 1/2.  

• Many, such as the very attractiveSplish Splash,  by Sian Tucker  (Little Simon, $4.99),  are made of nontoxic plastic and are meant to be read in the bathtub.

• Their simple concepts, shapes and figures are easy even for newborns to discern. Tana Hoban’s striking, wordless White on Black  (Greenwillow Books; $4.95) features white images of everyday objects against a black background.

• Repetitive and amusing rhymes and rhythms help babies remember sounds and words. Many Dr. Seuss classics are now available in board book form and are perfect for babies of all ages.

• “Touch and feel,” “scratch and sniff” or  “lift the flap and find a surprise” features  promote interactivity and engage baby’s interest.  Some, such as Children Television Workshop’s Tickles for Elmo  ($14.95), include a computer-like board of buttons babies can push to create sound effects as you read to them.

        It’s when these books get carried away with unnecessary bells and whistles that you have to question their value. Sweet Dreams  (Golden Books, $9.99) is “A Night Light Book”  that comes complete with a night light in the shape of  a rabbit. Battery included. Create your own special effects with a flashlight, and save your money.

          The bottom line: In most cases, these books are worth the price. But you don’t have to pay full price to get them. It’s easy to find age-appropriate books inexpensively. “Babies seldom wear things out; they outgrow them,” says child-care expert Pamela Jordan, Ph.D., RN.   “Salvation Army and other second-hand stores often have baby things.”  Many discount chains, such as Wal-Mart, Target and Kmart, also may carry these books at reduced prices, and there’s always that  ultimate and often overlooked “discount book store” ... your local public library, where you can borrow multiple titles for free and exchange them for new ones whenever you want.

Resource Box

       For more expert reviews of baby books, log onto PublishersWeekly.com and click on Children’s Books, then enter specific titles under Search. Or call up specific titles on Amazon.com and check out customer reviews, which frequently tell how infants and toddlers liked the book in question.

     Another excellent resource is The Children’s Book Council Web site (cbcbooks.org). Click on Parents Page and you’ll find advice on choosing a children’s book, links to the Web pages of noted children’s book authors and illustrators, and a long list of recommended books.

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Gail Harlow, co-author of an awarding-winning children’s book, “Marco Solo,” is the Founding Editor of MAKING BREAD magazine.   

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