Reading to your baby starting from birth is crucial -- we know this from research from the American Academy of Pediatrics. It's something I do with my own baby each day, and I treasure the time we spend with each book, as she grabs and tries to turn (and eat) the pages.
Every mama deserves to know those same moments.
So I'm thrilled to see Scholastic helping to foster them. The Children's Book Council has partnered with the unPrison Project to build prison-nursery libraries for incarcerated mamas and their babies. And this week, just in time for Mother's Day, the brand-new libraries will be unveiled in 10 states: California, Illinois,Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska, New York, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Scholastic has donated copies of some hand-selected titles for babies 0-18 months for each library, which will be paired with interactive reading guides to foster mother-child dialogue and bonding. (Because talking to your babies is just as important as reading to them!)
The titles we're donating are:
- The Kiss Box by Bonnie Verburg
- Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage
- How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen/Mark Teague
- No, David! by David Shannon
Plus, If Kids Ran the World by Leo and Dianne Dillon will be stocked in prison visiting rooms for older siblings who may be visiting their mothers in prison.
As a new mama, I'm touched by this program and by all the babies it will serve so well.
