Books for Infants

Here are two of our favourite books. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

I remember been enthralled by The Very Hungry Caterpillar when I was young and now I have children I see why. There are so many aspects covered by this book (life cycle of a butterfly, days of the week, colours, counting, food variety, the moon and the sun and it is interactive)  A&G like to explore this book by poking their little fingers in the holes the caterpillar has created.

My parent brought my sister and I a Swan plant when we were little. They may have brought two, so we wouldn't fight over one plant. The Monarch Butterfly likes to lay its eggs on the leaf of the Swan plant. I remember visiting the plant each day and to our delight one day we discovered little white eggs on the leaves. We watched avidly as the little caterpillars hatched, ate the leaves on the plant, grew larger, turned into a chrysalis/pupa and eventually a butterfly. It truly was an amazing experience to witness. I hope to provide the same experiences with my children. I feel it is important to create opportunities for real life activities and memories that will be remembered many years after the event. Since they have one of the best books on the life cycle of a butterfly, why not investigate avenues to provide them with a real life experience.

Both these books are Big Board Books otherwise known as lap books. They cost more than the normal board books, but I buy these where possible.  A & G like to touch the pages, help turn the pages, sometimes sit on the page, and press their faces closer to the book to look as whatever has caught their fancy. The bigger the book the less fussing and frustration experience by everyone.

PS : Please note the Swan plant is declared a weed in some states of Australia.