For Babies and their Parents

New parents need a reference library. A good Mother Goose book is as basic to a nursery as a rocking chair. Choose it with care. It will be read and consulted often. A book of lullabies is another thoughtful gift. And many new parents will appreciate a volume of play rhymes as they struggle to recall the basics of Patty-Cake.For more information about books and babies try this U. S. Department of Education Resource . More suggestions can be found here

This Little Piggy: Lap Songs, Finger Plays, Clapping Games, and Pantomime Rhymes with CD edited by Jane Yolen with pictures by Will Hillenbrand. Candlewick Press. ISBN: 0763613487. $19.99. A beautiful oversized anthology of lap rhymes, songs, and finger and foot rhymes, all presented with explanations and simple instructions for parents to play with their babies and toddlers.

My Very First Mother Goose edited by Iona Opie with pictures by Rosemary Wells. Candlewick. ISBN:1564026205. $21.99. This favorite combines Mother Goose's ageless work with large illustrations of a busy animal cast.

Baby Days: A Quilt of Rhymes and Pictures by Belinda Downes. Candlewick. ISBN: 0763627860. $14.99. A patchwork of verses and games about people, places, and things a baby knows. Share the rhymes now. Later share small details in the pictures with your toddler.

Babybug. Carus Publishing. 10 issues per year. $35.95 per year. Babybug has sturdy cardboard pages, rounded corners and no staples. It features simple stories, bright pictures and a parent’s guide. www.cricket.com.

Baby Faces by Margaret Miller. Little Simon ISBN: 0689819110. $6.99. Looking at other babies is one of the things babies like best.

Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O’Connell. Roaring Brook. ISBN: 0761317899. $14.95. See how the baby goes Beep Boom La Flip Yum Splash Smooch! Busy Baby!

Beach Party by Harriet Ziefert. Blue Apple. ISBN: 1593540671. $8.95. In this oversized board book readers can see the animals and hear the sounds of the beach.

Diddle Diddle Dumpling by Tracey Campbell. Farrar Straus. ISBN: 0374308616. $5.95. Pictures extend a familiar rhyme into a modern setting.

Dig Dig Digging by Margaret Mayo. Henry Holt. ISBN: 0805079858. $5.95. Trucks, tractors, fire engines, and helicopters all like to work hard during the day and to rest at night.

Duckie's Splash by Frances Barry. Candlewick. ISBN: 0763628972. $5.99. Whatever Duckie does, her friends do the opposite! When Duckie looks up, Kingfisher looks down. When she hops forward, Frog hops backward and then there is a pop-up surprise.

Everything Book by Denise Fleming. Henry Holt. ISBN: 080507709X. $6.95. This book offers parents and babies a little bit of everything to talk about.

I Kissed the Baby by Mary Murphy. Candlewick. ISBN: 0763624438. $6.99. Various animals tell how they saw, fed, sang to, tickled, and kissed the new duckling.

Oh, Baby! A Touch and Feel Book, pictures by Elizabeth Hathon. Grosset & Dunlap. ISBN: 0448418975. $6.99. This book about babies doing what babies do is made even more appealing by the interactive elements on most pages.

Peek-a-Boo illustrated by Ana Larranaga. Innovative Kids. ISBN: 1584764163. $10.99. This book is designed to be personalized by adding pictures of familiar people. Another book by the same design team is Farm Faces; a Book of Masks designed for playing peek-a-boo.

This Little Chick by John Lawrence. Candlewick. ISBN: 0763628824. $6.99. While his brothers and sisters nestle close to their mother hen, a little chick struts off on his own to make some new friends.

Whose Knees Are These? by Jabari Asim. Little Brown. ISBN: 0316735760. $6.99. This board book takes a loving look at knees from the vantage point of a mother's lap .