When parents are reading to them, babies are learning, even when they don’t understand all the words. Some research indicates that both quality and quantity of the reading matter. So what kinds of books should you read?

Babies enjoy books with photos of faces and daily life, high contract pictures, and simple language. Repetition, rhymes, lullabies and songs, and animal sounds are appealing. As they get older, babies also enjoy interacting with board books they can hold (and maybe chew) and simple lift-the-flap or touch and feel books.

Find suggestions for books to read with babies in:

• 8 Great Bedtime Books for Babies and Toddlers – from The New York Times
• 50 Books for Baby’s First Year – from the Family Reading Partnership
• Babies Need Words Every Day – from the American Library Association
• Best Touch and Feel Books for Your Baby’s Bookshelf – from Brightly
• Building a Home Library for Children Ages 0-3 – from the American Library Association and Children’s Book Council

For more in depth information on reading to babies and older children, borrow the following books from the Decoda Library:

• How to Raise a Reader
• Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook
• Reading with Babies, Toddlers & Twos