Is your baby more interested in gnawing on The Very
Hungry Caterpillar than listening to you read it? Luckily, a wriggly infant
doesn't need to sit through pages of text to reap the benefits of being read
to, which come from hearing new words, exploring pictures, and snuggling with
you. "I've seen far too many parents try to read to their baby 'the right
way,'" says Susan Straub, coauthor of
Create your own wild plot for the pictures in the book.(Maybe Goodnight Moon is really a mystery.)
Cover a picture and ask "Where's the bunny?" Then lift your hand and say "Peekaboo!"
Substitute your baby's name for a name in the book, such as "The Runaway Emily."
Make it real, grabbing an orange or a rattle to compare to the pictures in her book.
Stack books like blocks, or put them in a wagon to pull into another room. The more your baby interacts with books as playthings, the more she'll enjoy discovering what's inside.
