by Keri Withington

Created on: February 19, 2007   Last Updated: August 05, 2009

One of my favorite things to do with my 8-month-old is to read her picture books. Every child will have individual tastes, but they can learn to love books and have special time with mummy or daddy if you read to them. Here are some good books to try for kids under a year old.

* Anything with flaps they can lift up, textures they can feel, or shiny pictures (the Amazing Baby books with mirrors in them are fantastic!)

* Where the Wild Things are is a classic. Your little wild thing will love having a wild rumpus with you.

* Have different books for different times. My daughter has a Disney princesses book that plays music for playtime, a touch-n-feel nativity book for church on Sundays, and calmer books like Guess How Much I Love You for bedtime.

* Look for books that only have a few lines of text per page and expect to read then repeatedly.

* Liz Ahlberg's books-like Hug-are sweet and fun.

* Judy Waite's picture books can be hard to find, but are worth the effort.

Some excellent picture books to try include the Maisy series, Dertie Bertie, The Gruffalo, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

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