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Thursday 27 July 2017

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Ask Lorna: the best books for babies

Lorna Bradbury's selection of books to last a baby until he's two

Illustration by Axel Scheffler, from Pip and Posy's Snowy Day, published by Nosy Crow
Illustration by Axel Scheffler, from Pip and Posy's Snowy Day, published by Nosy Crow Photo: Axel Scheffler

Q My grandson is only a few months old. Please can you recommend some first books that we can share with him or eventually he can look at himself? Chris, via email

A I was in my local bookshop the other day, sheltering from the rain, and found myself browsing in the baby aisle. I confess I'd no idea there was such a range of books now on offer for children of less than six months, albeit variations on the same theme.

If I were you, I’d limit myself to one fabric book and one board book as these titles all essentially do the same job of stimulating a baby with different colours, shapes and textures. You should save your spending power for a bit later on, as there are so many excellent stories in picture book form available for children of one or two.

In terms of fabric books, Jellycat has a good range. You might try Jungly Tails (£11), in which the tails peeping out from the cover lead you to the animals inside. If you’re after a board book, you can’t beat the That’s Not My… series, which now numbers an incredible 36 titles (by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells, Usborne). Bold pictures of each animal or character (lion, mermaid, pirate and so on) are combined with a simple story, and there are different fabrics to touch and (for slightly older children) a tiny mouse to find on each page. Or what about the Baby Touch series? The Colours, Words and Numbers books are available as a set of three (Box of Books, Ladybird, £12.99).

Looking ahead a year or so, perhaps the most beautiful counting book is the new one from Anthony Browne. One Gorilla (Walker, £11.99) offers spread after spread of his utterly captivating primates. Or what about Freight Train (Phoenix Yard, £10.99) by Donald Crews, a simple graphic story about a train, which introduces colour and movement (through tunnels, by cities, over bridges)?

Emily Gravett’s Orange Pear Apple Bear (Macmillan, £4.99) creates a lovely story out of just four words, and her illustrations appeal to the youngest children. Other illustrators good for the under-twos include Axel Scheffler (most famous for his books with Julia Donaldson, but he also has a new solo series, Pip and Posy, from Nosy Crow), Polly Dunbar (her Tilly books are published by Walker), Nick Sharratt (his most recent book is Fancy Dress Farmyard, Alison Green, £6.99) and the father and daughter team of Mick and Chloe Inkpen (the most recent in the Zoe and Beans series is Hello Oscar!, Macmillan, £10.99, see below). Some of these are available as board books, so they will last longer.

What’s New?

Constable and Toop (Hot Key, £5.99) by Gareth P Jones is a scary gothic adventure for 10-year-olds and over about a boy, Sam, who can see into the spirit world, a bureau of pen-pushing ghosts trying to account for the decline in haunted houses and a series of deadly events on the streets of 19th-century London.

Previous Ask Lorna columns:

Stories for newly fluent readers

Stories about the Second World War

The teenage novel of the autumn

Books for children starting school

Stories for eight-year-old boys

Books without gore for a 12-year-old girl

Short story collections for seven-year-olds

Picture books for all ages

Sex education for toddlers

iPad adds for the under-fives

Adventures for a seven-year-old boy

Fiction for an advanced nine-year-old girl

Building a library: another 25 books

Books for a boy who loves history

The best bedtime stories

Building a library: 25 classic novels for teenagers

Books that feature black characters

Books for teens who love The Hunger Games

Funny stories for fans of Horrid Henry

Vampire-less books for teenagers

Books for children who have been bereaved

Building a library: top 50 books for children

Books for a boy who love Harry Potter

Books with vampires for fans of Twilight

Books for children with dyslexia

Books about Charles Dickens for an 11-year-old

Poetry to inspire a nine-year-old girl

Books for an advanced five-year-old girl

Books for 10-12-year-old boys

Books for fussy eaters

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