As a children’s librarian, picture book author and regular babytime facilitator, it should come as no surprise that starting my son’s personal library was one of my favourite parts of setting up my baby’s nursery. My library coworkers very kindly gifted me a Chapters gift card before I left on maternity leave (that’s the Canadian equivalent of Barnes & Noble, for my American friends), so off to the bookstore I went to buy my very first board books as an expectant mother!
Note: This is just the start of Raincity Baby’s nursery library – both his mummy and his Grandma are massive readers and book lovers, so there will undoubtedly be many, many more books to come. And thanks to the kind generosity of publishers and authors I have a massive picture book collection just waiting to be read, which is why I decided to focus on purchasing a few new board books.
Oh, and also note: We live literally down the street from a very large public library, so Raincity Baby and I will be making many, many trips to borrow even more board books!
Dear Zoo – How could I not purchase this absolute classic? I have shared this lift-the-flaps story at countless story times, so of course I had to have a copy of my very own.
Where’s the Duck? – More lift-the-flaps! I love this series because the flaps are felt, which provides a nice sensory element, and there are quite a few titles to collect! Oh, and there’s even a mirror, which is perfect for babies, who are naturally drawn to faces.
Peek-A-Boo Zoo! – Jane Cabrera! So, this is kind of an in-joke between me and my regular babytime audience – I use Cabrera’s books so often that my patrons tease me about it. For the record, no, I don’t just read her books because she’s a fellow Jane! I love all things Jane Cabrera – I love her artistic style, I love her stories, I love her baby books, so of course I had to add some Cabrera to my nursery!
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? – This simple rhyming text has become an enduring classic for good reason – it’s just perfect for little listeners! We’ve been reading this one pretty much daily.
Guess What? Fruit – And of course, no library of mine would be complete without at least one title from board book master Yusuke Yonezu! So chic, yet so developmentally appropriate.
What board books would you consider must-haves for your baby’s first personal collection?