Here’s a sampling of books, computer programs, and Web sites that you and your child can enjoy together. Check with your local librarian for more suggestions.
Babies
Brown, Margaret Wise. Goodnight Moon. Harper Collins, 1997. A little rabbit says goodnight to all the things in his room and, finally, to the Moon.
Johnson, Angela. Mama Bird, Baby Birds. Orchard, 1994. Joshua and his sister, two young African-American children, watch a mother bird feeding its babies.
Wells, Rosemary. Max’s Bedtime. Dial, 1998. Even though Max’s sister offers him her stuffed animals, he cannot sleep without his red rubber elephant.
Play Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Carle, Eric. The Very Busy Spider. Philomel, 1984. Farm animals try to keep a spider from spinning her web, but she doesn’t give up and she makes a beautiful and useful creation. Pictures may be felt as well as seen, making this a great book for visually impaired children.
Hill, Eric. Where’s Spot? Putnam, 1980. In an interactive lift-the-flap book, children help Spot’s mother, Sally, search the house to find him. This book has been translated into a number of languages, including a sign language version.
Kunhardt, Dorothy. Pat the Bunny. Golden Books, 1990. In this touch-and-feel book, Paul and Judy smell the flowers, feel Daddy’s scratchy face, look in the mirror, play peek-a-boo, and, of course, pat the bunny.
Lacome, Julie. Seashore. Candlewick, 1995. Small fingers can poke through the holes in the pages of this board book about the beach, and seem to change into fins, wings, or crawling legs.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to