We are big readers, and one of the things we were looking forward to most about becoming parents was getting to read with Geekling and start him off on his own journey of nerdiness. (It’s going to be a big day at our house when he reads Harry Potter for the first time.) 

We started reading to him pretty much as soon as he was born, and as he got older, he started to show his own interest in books. True, that was largely in pulling them off of the shelves the second he could reach them, but he also loved turning the pages once he figured out how, and now he is enjoying learning new things and hearing stories. These days I will sometimes catch him sitting on the floor in his room looking through his books, and it’s a sweet feeling to know that a love of books is something I can share with him. Ben and I are so proud that he seems to have caught the bibliophile bug early in life!

Reading is easily one of our favorite things to do together. However, not all baby books are created equal. We’re realizing this more and more as Geekling, demonstrating his own preferences for certain books, asks us to read some of them over and over again, often several times in a row. This can be enjoyable for us when the book he wants to read is well-written, has cute illustrations, or has some sort of interactive element. It is less enjoyable when the book is…not that way.

Since we’re still mostly stuck at home right now, it’s important to have good books to read so that we can escape our bunkers without resorting to 24/7 screen time! Below are some of the books we’ve enjoyed reading together the most since Geekling joined our family. Most of these are books that were gifted to us or that we picked up on a whim. We’re so grateful we did, because you just never know which books will end up being your baby’s (and your) favorites!

Welcome: A Guide for New Arrivals

Welcome: A Guide for New Arrivals was one of the first books we read to Geekling when he was a baby. It’s a sweet little book welcoming a new arrival to the world. I love the way it reads like a hotel pamphlet for someone on a vacation. Mo Willems uses his light, humorous touch to introduce the baby to the idea that he or she exists, explain some of the more important facts of life (like ice cream disasters), and, most importantly, give parents an opportunity to tell their babies that they are loved. The illustrations are simple and high contrast so that they are interesting for young babies to look at. Also, the front and back covers have mirrors so your baby can look at their reflection!

I don’t pull this one out very often anymore, but Geekling rediscovered it a few weeks ago and, for reasons I don’t really understand, loves it enough to request it on a recurring basis. I don’t mind rereading it to him; it’s a funny and enjoyable read for an adult, largely because of Willems’s way of phrasing things. Because it’s not a board book, I do have to keep an eye on Geekling when he wants to look at it without me so that it doesn’t have any accidents that might result in a visit to the Book Doctor (aka Mom x tape). 

Who? A Celebration of Babies

A few months after Geekling was born, we got an awesome surprise in the form of a package from our public library containing some free board books as part of an initiative to encourage parents to read to their babies early. (We didn’t need the reminder, but we loooove free books from the library!) 

Who? was one of those books. Geekling loved it when he was younger, and even though he’s probably a little old for it now, he still likes repeating the words and looking at the babies. It’s a simple book that helps babies learn to recognize their special loved ones, even before they might be able to say their names. It shows babies with Mama, Dada, pets, and other family members. We love the illustrations, which are colorful and sweet, and we love that it shows babies and families with different backgrounds. It’s become a favorite that we hope will stick around for the next few kids.

Black Bird Yellow Sun

This is another simple board book designed to teach babies colors. It follows a black bird as he flies around and explores the world, using the blackness of the bird to contrast with the colors he sees. The illustrations are simple, but really really cute and quite effective for teaching colors. I used to read this to Geekling by pointing first to the bird and then to the color on each page. Now that he can say the colors himself, he loves to copy me when I do this.

Kitten’s First Full Moon

Geekling loves cats, so it wasn’t a surprise to us when he latched onto Kitten’s First Full Moon. It tells the story of Kitten, who is convinced that the full moon is a bowl of milk in the sky, and sets off trying to catch it. She encounters some surprises along the way, but eventually finds what she is looking for.

This is one of the books that Geekling often asks to read several times in a row, and usually we’re happy to oblige. It has humor, heart, and is just really really cute. 

BabyLit Board Books

These are the perfect baby books for any parents who were also English majors in college (which, no surprise, we both were). Each BabyLit book introduces babies to classic literature, usually in the form of a counting primer, a sounds primer, or a colors primer. Geekling likes the Romeo and Juliet, Jane Eyre (which he calls “Governess” because of the first page), and Pride and Prejudice primers. The books themselves are simple and most focus only on counting or colors rather than a baby version of the classic book, but the illustrations are engaging and each page usually has something on it that a parent familiar with the source material will find entertaining. (Ben’s personal favorite is the last page of Pride and Prejudice.)

Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator!

We like Mo Willems’ books a lot but hadn’t heard of this one, so when we saw it at a library sale we grabbed it thinking it looked cute. We had no idea Geekling (and we) would love it as much as we do. It’s a longer picture book with six (short) stories about a girl named Amanda and her stuffed alligator. 

Mo Willems usually makes us laugh, and Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator! is no exception. From Amanda’s snark to the titles of the books she checks out from the library to Alligator’s questionable solutions to boredom, it’s full of quick wit and charm.

These aren’t the only books we’ve enjoyed reading to Geekling. They’re only a few of the ones we personally prefer and secretly thank our lucky stars that he picked them instead of some others we won’t mention. His literary palate is constantly developing (thank goodness), so I’m sure there will be many more books for us to read over, and over…and over…and over again.

If you have young kids, what books have you been reading lately? Give us your suggestions in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to our email list so you don’t miss any more Geek Togethers!