Make sharing books something your child wants to do often. Children learn best when they enjoy what they are doing.

To help make sharing books an enjoyable experience:

• Choose a time to read when both you and your child are relaxed and happy.
• Notice what your child looks at, and then talk about it.
• Stop for a while if your child loses interest or gets upset.
• It is natural for babies to play with books, even tear or chew on them.
• When you read, make your child feel loved and special.
• Share books with your child everyday, even a few minutes are important.

Print Motivation

• Begin reading to your child early. Even newborns enjoy hearing parents and caregivers read.
• Choose board or cloth books and allow your baby to explore by chewing and playing with the book
• Let your child see you reading. It is especially important for a child to see his or her father read!
• Visit your public library often.

Narrative Skills

• Tell your child stories.
• Encourage your child to tell you about things. Even if your baby is not talking, listen patiently to the sounds your baby makes and ask questions.
• Read your child’s favorite books over and over. Ask your child questions about what comes next. Again, even if your baby is not talking, listen and ask questions.

Letter Awareness

• Help your child see and feel different shapes.
• Talk to your child about what is the same and what is different between two things.
• Read alphabet books.
• Point out letters on signs, toys and other objects.

Print Awareness

• Choose a book with very few words and point to each word as you say it.
• Allow your child to hold the book and turn the pages.

Vocabulary

• Talk with your child about what you are doing and what is going on around you.
• Speak, sing songs and say rhymes in the language most comfortable for you.
• When your baby babbles or talks, listen carefully and answer.
• Ask your child lots of questions.
• Speak clearly. Use short sentences. Repeat yourself when your child shows interest.
• Read together every day. Books have pictures of things you may not see often. Name what is in the pictures as you point to them.

Phonological Awareness

• Recite nursery rhymes to your child, emphasizing the words that rhyme.
• Make up silly nonsense rhymes.
• Sing to your child, even if you do not think your voice is good!
• Add actions when you sing a song or recite a poem.
• For further ideas about sharing rhymes and songs with your baby, please see our Baby Songs and Rhymes brochure.

Yes! Your child starts learning from birth. Research has found that there are six pre-reading skills children must gain in order to learn to read.

Print Motivation

Developing an interest in books and learning to enjoy books and reading.

Narrative Skills

Learning to describe things and events and tell stories.

Letter Awareness

Learning that letters are different from each other, learning their names and sounds.

Print Awareness

Noticing letters and words, following the words on a page and learning how to handle a book.

Vocabulary

Learning the names of things.

Phonological Awareness

Learning to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.

SMPL Lap Time Guidelines

Lap Time is a 20-minute story time for babies up to approximately 2 years of age accompanied by an adult who is willing to participate in the activities.

Each session includes stories, finger plays, nursery rhymes and songs.

You and your child will benefit most if during the program you participate together by:

• Keeping your child within cuddling distance.
• Joining in the activities by listening and participating in the program.
• Quietly focusing your child’s attention on each story time activity.
• Leaving books, toys or snacks outside the story area.
• Please turn off your cell phone or pager.
• If your child should cry, please take him or her aside until he or she is ready to return.

Books your baby may enjoy are found in the board book and picture book areas in the Santa Monica Public Library.

The picture books are labeled and sorted by the author’s last name. The board books are labeled with the author’s last name and are often found in a basket or bin in the children’s area.

A few authors your baby may enjoy:

Please Note: The authors below also write and illustrate books for other age groups. If you have any questions, please ask a Children's Librarian.

• Burningham, John
• Carlstrom, Nancy White
• Chorao, Kay
• Hoban, Tana
• Hubbell, Patricia
• Hudson, Cheryl Willis
• Miller, Margaret
• Sieveking, Anthea
• Oxenbury, Helen
• Tafuri, Nancy
• Wells, Rosemary

• Simple rhymes, rhythm and repetition
• Photographs of other babies or familiar items and events
• Pages with different textures
• Animal or silly sounds
• Cardboard, cloth or soft vinyl pages
• Different sizes and shapes
• Songs
• Large, bold and colorful illustrations or photographs
• Most of all, the book should be fun for you and your baby!

Please note, although there are many books at the library appropriate for your baby, it is also important for babies to have books of their very own to read and play with!

When purchasing a book for baby, make sure there are no small parts or anything that may become hazardous to your child.