Baby Plays Pat-Pat from Begin Smart Books by Susan Baum

Published by Sterling Publishing Co.

12 Pages

Ages: Newborn to Six Months

Publishers Summary: The animal illustrations here are so simple and attractive—with white pictures on black backgrounds and black images on white—but they’re thoughtfully designed to help baby focus. And the irresistibly shiny embossing will tempt little ones to reach out and touch, adding an extra tactile dimension to the reading encounter.

“Smack! Smack! Smack! Ever since my mom taught me that this book is all about me hitting the pages I just can’t seem to help myself. Smack! It has some fuzzy animal pictures on it, but I can’t really bother to look at them. Smack! All I want to do is hit the book! Smack!

“In all honesty I do like the book and the other ones like it. I like playing with my mom while we flip through the pages and giggle every time my mom joins in the fun, occasionally patting one or two of the animals. Granted she just doesn’t know how to get into it the way I do. This is one of my favorites to read with mom, and dad too.”

“My two cents…well, on the cover of the book it says the following: ‘This book encourages – early visual activity, language development, hand control, and bonding.’ Also, the book is primarily for newborn to six month old children and Littlebug is now almost eleven months old. Although, I don’t always agree with age ranges on books, this is one I feel is rather appropriate. That being said, we did purchase this book back when Littlebug was much much younger and have used it since well before her six month birthday. To this day she still loves the interaction with not only the book, but whomever is reading it to her. Even if, I feel she is a bit beyond it developmentally and according to the publishers recommendation this is appropriate.

“Initially I purchased this book after seeing it in a local bookstore and thinking I would really like to try it out. Then after reading Booking Mama’s review of these books and our own personal trial with them I decided to pick up a few more. They’ve been great and even The Turkeybird has had a hard time keeping his hands off his little sister’s ‘pretty’ new books. I’d actually like to pick up a few more just to see how she likes the rest of the series.

“Another thing about these books that I like was the information provided to the parent by Begin Smart Books themselves. In each book there is a small section talking about how best to help your child to take advantage of the book. Also, on the Begin Smart website they have all sorts of suggestions to parents on how to pick books as well as tips on how to get your child involved in reading during everyday activities. All of the advice they provide is smart, to the point and very helpful.

“Final opinion: Great books for early early readers and unlike some books the age ranges are very accurate. If you have a newborn to two year old I highly recommend purchasing or trying them out from your local library. The claims I mentioned early in regards to development I think vary depending on your child, but for the most part in some way to have a good affect in the long run. However they may help your child, I do believe that if nothing else these books are great for bonding with your little one and are a delight to read.”

This book was purchased for our home library.
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

In keeping with the introductions on our site, we’d like you to meet Littlebug. Keep in mind, she doesn’t talk much, but has a heck of a personality. Here she is:

Sweet Littlebug Says:

“As was said, I’m a girl of few words now, but soon that will all change…and then watch out world! In just two short months I will finally be a year old! No more of this baby stuff, although I do like to use that to my advantage when it comes to mom and getting what I want. Just about one month ago I started to really crawl and that about did it for my poor mom, she’s chasing me everywhere I go now just to make sure I don’t get into something I shouldn’t.

There’s no doubt you can tell when I like or dislike something and you will always know where you stand when you are with me. I’m easily swayed and sometimes all it takes is the right toy or food and I’m a happy girl. My mom is far and above the one who knows me best and can always manage to get me calmed down whatever the situation. Usually it comes with a song, because I’m absolutely mesmerized by any music my mom sings or plays for me.

Things I like most…Well, I’ll put this simply, if I can put it in my mouth and chew, it’s the best thing ever. My big brother , the Turkeybird himself, is my absolute favorite person in the world (besides my dad of course) and everything he does is just amazing.  My favorite foods are bananas, teething biscuits, veggie puffs and pretty much anything I can have that everyone else is eating. I love bright colors, my little bunny/dog (mom can’t decide what it is, but my auntie gave it to my big brother and I inherited it), anything with a tag and the burp clothes my mom sewed for me. I love to learn and know one day I will love reading just as much as everyone in my family.”

Mom’s Two Cents:

“This Littlebug is very special, as are most little girls to their moms. She has quickly become the life of the party. Anytime anyone in the family is feeling down you can count on her to bring a smile to your face and a giggle to the room. We are so grateful she’s a member of the family and can’t wait to see where she goes!”

Littlebug’s favorite books currently:

“That’s Not My Dolly” and others… by Fiona Watt and Illustrated by Rachel Wells

Published by Usborne Publishing Limited November 2003

12 Pages

Ages: 4-8

Publishers Summary: Babies and toddlers will love touching and feeling the shiny, spotty, fluffy and silky surfaces in this delightful board book. Young children will soon be reciting the simple repetitive text from memory, and the textured patches help develop sensory awareness.

Sweet Littlebug Says:

“These are great books and the main thing I love about them are the different textures. Right now I really like to put everything in my mouth and occasionally when my mom isn’t looking I will lick the pages to feel the different textures. Yes, I know you think it’s gross, but oh well, what can I say? I’m not even a year old yet. But I love these books and if I can, I even steal the ones from my big brother’s collection.”

Mom’s Two Cents:

“Worth every penny. The great thing about these is that a lot of the time you can find them at a 4 for the price of 3 deal (usually on Amazon).  Not only is the price great, but they are truly great books. The Turkeybird first started out with That’s Not My Truck and has continued on until we have almost twelve of these titles. Now that The Turkeybird is almost three I feel he’s getting to the point where he has about grown out of them, although the publisher recommends they are good until age eight. I have no doubt in my mind that they will entertain for years to come, but as for educational purposes I don’t see it carrying on much past the third or fourth birthday depending on the child. Each of these books helps develop word association and the ability to differentiate between varied textures. Littlebug has been reading them now for about four months and I know will continue on for just as long as her older brother. Great books for young beginning readers!”

Also, if you are looking for seasonal varieties of these wonderful books try out these titles:

These books were purchased for our home library.
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

I am happy to announce the official beginning of There’s A Book! The Turkeybird, Littlebug and I are so excited to share our thoughts about our love for a variety of books. My purpose in starting this site is first to share my love of books with all of you out there and secondly to help parents find great books for their children. In sharing the likes and dislikes of myself and my two kiddos I hope to provide direction in what can be an overwhelming task for any parent or reader. There are so many great books out there, but they may not be the best books for you or your own kiddos. Hopefully through our trial and error we can provide enough information to help you along your very own transformation into a world of imagination and wonder.

Along the way you will find all sorts of funny faces to help guide you. Here are a few examples of The Turkeybird and Littlebug letting their “true feelings” shine through:

So, please take a seat and enjoy what’s to come. I’m so glad you found us! Explore, look around, and make sure to come back on a regular basis to see what’s new. Each week you can expect to see at least one review from each of us and with any luck we will have some extras that will ignite your own love of reading and knowledge. Again, thanks for stopping by! Make sure to say hi and let us know what you think.

Much Love, the1stdaughter