I think one of the best presents to give a child is the gift of reading. So it's always my go-to for new baby gifts. It's har...

Baby Shower Book Gifts / Books for Babies

Tuesday, August 06, 2019 BookBairn 2 Comments


I think one of the best presents to give a child is the gift of reading. So it's always my go-to for new baby gifts. It's hard to go wrong with a book. There are so many wonderful ones to choose from! You could go for classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Guess How Much I Love You and Dear Zoo (amongst so many others) or you might want to get some books which are a little off-the-beaten-track to make sure that you don't end up duplicating (having said that duplicates of baby books is no bad thing as they do tend to get a lot of wear and tear, chewing and rough play). One of my very favourite and loveliest friends had a new baby recently so I put together a little bundle of books that I thought would be a great start to his collection so I thought I'd share them here too just in case you have a new baby to buy for too!

Read to Your Baby Every Day by Chloe Giordano & Rachel Williams




Babies are never too young to be read to. In fact Science tells us that babies develop best when and connect with the worlds and people around them when they are spoken to. And this book is the perfect first start. When babies are too little to be able to focus on the world around them (especially when their eyesight is still developing) it's a lovely way to read to them through nursery rhymes and songs. This book makes the perfect gift for that as it has many of the rhymes and songs that we are all familiar with from our own childhood (even if we have actually forgotten the words). A perfect prompt to read aloud. But it makes such a beautiful gift due to the magical way it has been illustrated - with original freehand embroidery. It's completely unique from any other book I have seen and it's utterly charming. Such a lovely collection to introduce little ones to a world of sounds!



I Thought I Saw a... Monkey by Lydia Nichols

I Thought I Saw a... Penguin by Lydia Nichols




This series is one of The Wee Page Turner's favourites and the bear version is one of the books that he loved first and  is one of the books that we have read over and over again! So I wanted to include these two new versions (though there is a whole series so you can pick out the animal that you like best) in the new baby gift basket. In the books, each page repeats the phrase “I thought I saw a...” and then using the slider you can reveal the hidden animal. There is also a loose theme to each book to build vocabulary - the monkey is shopping so you can share lots of town vocabulary and the penguin is at the beach so again lots of vocabulary opportunities too. These are very simple, very clever little books that are great for entertaining little readers and perfect for popping in your bag for out and about stories. And they make a great new baby gift!


Tales from Nature Ladybird by Magali Attiogbe

Tales from Nature Bee by Magali Attiogbe




Enchanting non-fiction stories for the littlest readers, this new series of wildlife books are the perfect introduction to nature books for little ones. Packed full of windows and flaps, children will be excited to explore this bright and colourful series of books. Told in a narrative non-fiction means that the facts are blended in with a story-like reading is perfect for little ones who want the lilt of the story but are fascinated by learning more about the world around them. Both books (and you can also find Bird and Rabbit from the same series) give little ones a taste of nature non-fiction at a level they can enjoy and appreciate. I love the soft pastel colour palette!

Baby Touch: Playbook



There are lots of great 'primer' books for babies helping them to build their vocabulary that have been designed with little fingers who want to explore in mind. But this series is such a beautiful update as the are full of bright colourful images, baby-friendly text and lots of interesting textures to touch and feel so that little ones can begin to learn all those new skills. But they are also incredibly stylish and with cheerful illustrations that will appeal to grown-ups as well as little ones. I particularly love the 'Animals' version with the tabbed edges of the pages being shaped like the animals - how fun! There are others in this series due out later this month too!


Little White Fish series by Guido van Genechten



These books arrived just after I had given the gift basket to my friend but I will be adding these to his little haul when I next see them. In the first few months of your baby's life their eyesight is still developing and their ability to see subtle contrasts develops later. So you see a lot of black and white books for baby, and whilst these are great - they don't have the same longevity as other books (in my opinion) as babies grow out of them quickly - wanting more story-based books instead. So I was delighted to discover this series of books - Little White Fish - which have high contrast (and often black and white dotted with colour) illustrations that little ones will be able to see clearly. However they also have an adorable main character on some sort of adventure and a fun storyline too! They also have other sea creatures which will help build vocabulary, bright colours which will also help them learn colour words, and a specific vocabulary target for each book (colours, opposites, prepositions) so these books are definitely going to see them past the baby stages.




I hope you found something there for the very littlest readers in your life and perhaps next time you are giving a new baby gift or going to a baby shower you'll think about picking up a book! If you are looking for more recommendations for babies check out my UK Amazon shop or my US Amazon.com shop and click on the section for Books for Babies.

Happy reading with your little ones
Kim and the bairns x


Disclaimer: We were sent some of these books free for review purposes by the publishers. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.


 
    
     
  
   

2 comments:

  1. Great idea for a gift and this is a great selection of books. The Wee Page Turner loves any books with animals.

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  2. I wouldn't have thought about giving books as a baby shower gift, but as children are never too young to benefit from a book it's a great idea #kltr@_kzrendennis

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