In Seattle
Seattle Public Library http://www.spl.lib.wa.us
Seattle Public Library's Story Time Calendar http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=audience_children_calendar
We go to the University Branch's Story Time and it is very fun. They have stories, movement, and songs.
Mockingbird Books http://www.mockingbirdbooksgl.com/
A great children's bookstore. They provide story times, youth and adult book groups, author and illustrator events, frequent buyer rewards, specialty book-ordering, reading programs and much more.
On the Web
Washington Learning Systems http://www.walearning.com/resources/infants
Provides free resources on literacy development.
Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and their Families http://www.zerotothree.org
A great resource for everything related to infants and toddlers. They have a section on
Early Language and Literacy with tips, tools, and a list with even more resources! http://www.zerotothree.org/early-care-education/early-language-literacy
Posted by Marianne Sardelich at 3:09 PM 0 comments
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Colors
Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton (Board book - Oct 11, 1984)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle (Board book - Sep 15, 1996)
Animals
Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell (Board book - May 8, 2007)
Open the Barn Door (A Chunky Book(R)) by Chris Santoro (Board book - Apr 6, 1993

Pat the Bunny (Touch and Feel Book) by Dorothy Kunhardt (Plastic Comb - May 1,
2001)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Board book - Mar 23, 1994)
Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathman (Board book - 2000)
Hug by Jez Alborough (Paperback - August 11, 2009)
Rhyming Books
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd (Board book - Aug 2,
1991)
Daily Routines
The Going-To-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton (Board book - Nov 30, 1982)
Songs
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (Baby Board Books) by Annie Kubler (Board book -
Oct 2002
Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton (Board book - Nov 30, 1982)
Images of Real Babies
Global Babies by The Global Fund for Children (Board book - February 10, 2006)
Not Easily Classified but Really Fun
Peek-A Who?
by Nina Laden (Board book - Feb 1, 2000)
All of the books listed can be found at Amazon.com. You can also try the local bookstore Mockingbird Books. They have a very good selection.
This is by no means a complete list.
We would love to hear what your favorites are!
Posted by Marianne Sardelich at 2:53 PM 0 comments
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Characteristics of an Infant Book Nook
Small, quiet corner
Book Nooks can be a retreat
A place to go and relax
Soft chairs and pillows
This makes it cozy and gives infants something to rest on while reading

Low Shelves or Baskets
Allow for easy access to books
Books spread on floor
This is important for young infants who cannot access shelves yet.
This allows them to roll or crawl to books
Enough space for Adults
Infants will want you to be part of their experience and you will want to be comfortable
Additional Items
Felt boards
These can be bought or created.
They represent what happens in a story or song through felt cutouts.
Infants can play with them independently or you can tell a story using them.
Magnetic letter boards
A fun way for infants to explore letters
Toy Animals or Dolls
Infants enjoy sharing stories and stuffed animals make great audiences
Posted by Marianne Sardelich at 8:44 PM 0 comments
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Information taken from Much More Than The ABCs by Judith A. Schickedanz
Birth to 3 months
Types of Books:
Simple large pictures or designs set against a contrasting background
Suggestion for Reading:
Books can be displayed alongside of the infant's crib
Book can be opened wide and placed on the floor next to the infant. One book at a time so that they do not become overwhelmed
Good time to introduce infants to “book talk”. Nursery or other rhymes are appropriate
Example:
Look Look by Peter Linenthal 1998
4 to 6 Months
Types of Books:

Cloth and vinyl books are easy to grasp and lightweight. They are also either waterproof or can be put in the washing machine.
Suggestions for Reading:
Can start holding book and infant at the same time because infant can hold their head up
Infants will want to explore book with mouth and it is important to let them
Will probably look at books only briefly
Sometimes if the infant has a toy it will help them to sit through reading a book and deter them from grabbing the book
Example:
Pat the Bunny: Sleepy Bunny by Golden Books 2003
7 to 9 months
Types of Books:
Board Books
Bright bold illustrations of familiar things that adults can name
Books that rhyme or books with rhythmic language
Suggestions for Reading:
Books should be available for independent exploration
Lay out books on the floor so that children can come upon them while crawling
If a child wants to turn pages or manipulate the book during reading let them. Take opportunities to label images as they come up. eg: “There’s a cat”
Example:
Peek-a-Who?
by Nina Ladon 2000
9 to 12 months
Types of Books:
Pictures of familiar objects and actions
Traditional board books (thinner pages but still made of cardboard)
Suggestions for Reading:
1. Get babies attention (pointing to something or “Look”)
2. Ask the infant a labeling question eg: What is that?
3. Wait for infant to respond or provide an answer yourself
4. Provide feedback (If infant answers incorrectly, you should say what the thing really is without making them feel wrong
These steps model for infants how they can ask about images in a book. Eventually the child will take over the questions. You don’t need to do this with every book just occasionally or for things that you know they can identify.
Example:

Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Annie Kubler 2003
Reference:
Schickedanz, Judith A. (1999). Much More Than The ABCs: The Early Stages of Reading and Writing.
Washington D.C.: NAEYC.
Posted by Marianne Sardelich at 8:35 PM 0 comments
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For the past few months, the toddler room has been exploring stories. They have done investigations on reading stories, telling stories, illustrating stories, and acting out stories.
Here in the infant room, stories and books also play a huge role in the school day. The infant room teachers recently read the book Much More Than The ABCs by Judith A.
Schickedanz together and it reminded us why early exposure to reading is so important.
Schickedanz contends that literacy development is built through positive reading and writing experiences that a child has with literate adults and siblings during everyday life
(Schickendanz, 1999, 5). As you know, reading with an infant is different than reading with a toddler or preschooler. They have their own specific needs and abilities and it is important to find book handling styles and reading materials that match. We (and probably you too) know how difficult it can be to navigate the plethora of materials available on infant literacy. For this reason, we have decided to devote our blog postings for this month to literacy. In the upcoming posts you will find tips for book handling with infants, a guide to setting up your own book nook, good books for infants, and links to resources on the web and in the community. We also hope that you will share any book suggestions or tips that you have for reading with infants.
Keep Those Pages Turning!
Becky and Marianne