Sandbox Book Club #2

Sandbox Book Club Recommendation #2

Bright Baby First 100 book series

For my second book club recommendation, I wanted to share a series of books that seem to transcend one age range.  They are great tools for babies who are just beginning to explore their world and just keep on giving through toddlerhood.  I received one at my baby shower from my friend Colleen whose son was three at the time, and she said it was still one of his favorite books.  Since then I have bought three more because I feel that strongly that they are worth my money. 

Bright Baby is a great brand that I feel I can trust and that their books are investments in my children's libraries.  They make those small, single subject board books (like Trucks or Animals, with just one picture per page and its label below) that we swear by and I always include in a baby shower gift.  We have five or six of those in our house.  But these books are like several of those in one place, which is valuable for me because I usually lose my babies' interest when I am switching from one book to the next.  The transition is key, so with a longer version of those great books, I can keep their attention longer.

Jax loved these books.  The First 100 Words was a staple in our everyday repetoire.  He loved the diversity of subjects and the pictures of the other kids.  We got First 100 Animals shortly thereafter, and he still pulls it out when we sing "Old MacDonald" while choosing crazy animals from the book instead of just farm animals.  First 100 Machines was a big hit, of course.  And I only just bought Colors, ABCs, Numbers for Em this past Christmas, and I can't believe I haven't had it all along.  It's definitely my favorite of the four and holds her attention the longest of all our books in the house.

A big reason that I highly recommend them for babies is because when they are open, they lay completely flat so that it's like one gigantic page instead of two.

If you haven't tried reading to a nine-month-old lately, I assure you that page-turning is both fascinating and a major distraction.  Never mind that you are trying to get a point across, like it's-naptime-quiet-down-and-go-to-sleep.  Reading to a baby this age is like a stimulant.  They want to eat it, turn it, flip it--do anything but sit quietly and listen to you share heartwarming tales of Peter Rabbit.  These books are great because they're pretty indestructable and the kids can actually crawl on them to get a closer look.

And although this last book was a gift for Em this Christmas, Jax loves it just as much as her and really enjoys reading it "to her" (aka stealing it and reading it himself).  It has shapes, which he is really into right now, plus the good old colors, alphabet, numbers, opposites, etc.  Plus the vibrant colors are enticing to all ages. 

A very appropriate gift to a child turning two as well as to an expecting mom.  A great addition to any child's library!  You will get your  money's worth every time!