The American Academy of Pedatrics recommends reading to children from birth. I'm proud to say I did! When my baby girl was born this time last year, my husband and I were armed with books. (That's easy for us, of course...I work at Scholastic, and he's an author. Books are our lives!) We even brought a board book to the hospital with us, and we began reading to her that very first night of her life. (Confession: I don't think she noticed or cared. But still!)
Watching her grow this past year has been a marvel, and it's reflected particularly in how she changed her approach to books as the weeks passed. She went from not noticing that someone was reading to her to actually seeing and looking at the book; soon, she was holding the book and then even flipping through the pages herself. Then, suddenly—seemingly overnight!—she began to listen to the words of the book, and even to understand them.
Now, as she approaches her first birthday, I'm in awe at her relationship with books.
Here are five things my 1-year-old can do with books:
1. Pick out her favorites: For hours a day (and I am not exaggerating), my girl will stand in front of her bookshelf and pull out all of her favorite books. She's not careful with them—her coordination is not great, of course—so she'll toss out the books she's not interested in, letting them topple over and fall. Once she's got one that she wants, though, she'll scootch back into me, hold it up, and wait for me to read it to her. It's darling.
2. Recognize them by their cover: My girl has a smile that lights up a room (I promise I'm not biased!), and when she sees one of her favorite books appear, she grins from ear to ear. I've tested her to see if she'll light up at any old book, but nope: just the ones she adores.
3. Play favorites: Pointing is one of my girl's favorite things to do. Sometimes she'll point in the general direction of her bookshelf, or of a pile of books around the house (parents, you know what I'm talking about—kid stuff infiltrates every room!), and I'll grab a book for her. But that's not enough for my baby. It has to be the right book. Some days, that means "the one with the mirrors and all the sparkles." Some days it means the one with Elmo on the cover. Some days it's the one with the fuzzy puppies. It's anyone's guess!
4. Understand their surprises: Listen, my baby is a peek-a-boo expert. Don't try to tease her, authors—she knows what's coming when she opens a lift-the-flap book, and it makes her so excited! (Keep 'em coming. She loves them.)
5. Destroy them: I had no idea my 1-year-old would have such a strong grip...or such an urge for destruction. Thank goodness board books are sturdy, because she pulls them, turns them inside out, kicks them, throws them, eats them...And still they survive. And still she loves them.
Need some book help? Check out recommendations for babies 0-2 on our Parents site.
