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January 2001

Baby books: *Birth to 6 months*

It's never too soon to introduce books to babies. Some radical thinkers in this area suggest starting at nine months old, but why leave it so late? You could start at birth, making book-time equal quality-time for you and baby. 

THIS MONTH'S FAVE RAVE:
Spot's Big Touch and Feel Book, by Eric Hill
Meet Spot having a fun day out in a world where the trees have large areas of crinkly bark that babies will love to run their fingers along, and where there's an iridescent reflective pond they can see themselves in.

There's even some real green knitting that Grandma is making, and a squeaking furry mouse – it needs to be hit rather than gently squeezed to make a sound, but lively babies should be able to manage it.

Published by Frederick Warne, £7.99

 

HONOURABLE MENTION:
Puppy and Baby in the Park by Maggie Moore, photographs by Steve Gorton
This sturdy board book mixes illustrations and photographs, and features a toy puppy trying his best to do all the things Baby does, and making mistakes. 

For example, on one page the puppy toy is sitting in an upturned umbrella in the rain, and opposite the smiling baby is holding his umbrella above himself, and saying: "Do it like this, Puppy." Of course the one thing Puppy does manage to do perfectly is to eat an ice-cream.

Mum of a four- month-old comments: "My son finds the photographs really appealing, and I think the scenarios are funny."

Published by Egmont, £2.99

For more books in this age range see our baby books archive.

Also see this month’s books for babies:

Click here for pregnancy and parenting books and videos.