The Rules of Reading

How to Engage Baby and Toddler

By Christy R. Stevenson

When I was expecting my first child, I knew he would be a genius. Even in the womb, he seemed pensive, curious, inventive! I wanted to foster his natural intelligence any way I could. I held my stereo speakers to my belly so he could analyze the intricacies of Mozart. I read him Poe and Wordsworth. I thought for sure he'd come out of the womb reciting "The Raven."

Unfortunately, reality set in when he actually came out of the womb and into my arms. He was a disinterested little thing – no longer did my Poe readings inspire him. I decided to buy some baby books. I would read them to him with such perfect inflection and emotion, but still, no sign of interest. As he got a little older, into the chewing phase, books engaged him much more, but only as the ultimate teething relievers.

Perhaps you, too, have discovered your expectations deflated as your baby crawls away from you during reading time or only uses books to absorb drool or practice his fast-pitch. No matter what stage your baby is in, however, reading time can and should be a reality, and the key is in knowing the what, when and how of reading time.

Often the problem does not lie with our babies, but rather with the book selection we have made. It's a confusing task choosing a book from the plethora that await us at the local bookstore. We see a cute bunny on the front cover and wonder how we could possibly go wrong! But as the old adage says, never judge a book by its cover. Here are some important elements of a book that we should consider:

• Sound – Does it use alliteration (similar beginning sounds, like in a tongue-twister), rhyme or repetition?
• Theme
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