A burgeoning interest in the science of infant brain development in the early 1990s led to policy shifts that focused on early childhood development. This included more attention being paid to the kinds of language and literacy experiences children had in early childhood. The market followed and publishers started creating more reading materials specifically aimed at babies. Now, board book collections for babies are standard fare in public libraries.
A quick look at the board books available today make it pretty clear that this format’s time has truly come. They finally have their very own book award! The best board books contain high quality illustrations or gorgeous photographs (sometimes both!), often along with charming textual features that work together to engage and delight babies and grown-ups alike. Whether randomly stored in bins, or shelved alphabetically, these types of chunky books designed for little hands should be plentiful and well-used.
Also, beyond their cuteness, board book collections contribute to the early literacy enrichment of your community’s youngest members which makes them well worth the cost and effort needed to maintain these collections.
In my children’s literature class, I have my MLIS students evaluate board books with this easy five-point system.
1)Are the book’s physical features (i.e., construction, size, binding, and finish) well-suited to babies’ hands?
2)Is the content of this book well-matched to the developmental needs of babies (i.e., real life objects, situations, every day activities or simple songs and rhymes)
3) Is the text (if there is any) simple and brief and easy to read?
4)Are the illustrations/photographs clear, uncluttered, and well matched to the content or story?
5)Is authentic community diversity and inclusiveness apparent in the book’s text and/or illustrations/photographs?
Evaluating board books with this simple rubric helps to ensure that your board book collections are the best they can be: Appropriate for babies and appealing to the adults who select and read them to their beloved babies. Scores of 5/5 are relatively rare, so when you find them, buy lots of them while scores of 4/5 offer the variety and fun you want on offer to encourage exploration.
Here are some of my students’ and my highest-scoring, recently published board books that are highly recommended for all board book collections.
The I can say dada book and The I can say mama book by Stephanie Cohen. Written by an early speech and language expert, this adorable pair of books offers the kinds of repetition and rhyming that encourages babies’ language development. The photographs feature a diverse of array of families, ethnicities, and abilities.
My hair is like the sun and My hair is like yours by St. Clair Detrick-Jules, illustrated by Tabitha Brown This pair of board books celebrate Black joy and Black hair. The images include both photographs and illustrations and accompany vibrant, affirming text.
Hello hello opposites, and Hello hello colors, written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. Part of a longer series created for the littlest kids, the extraordinary illustrations in this pair of board books offer a feast for the eyes while the opportunities for learning new words and concepts abound.
More Board Book Links
Indigenous Board Books for Every Baby
Celebrating Board Books for Babies
Banned Books for Baby Storytime
Rachel Payne’s fantastic board book roundups at The Horn Book
This post is intended to address the following ALSC Competencies: I: Commitment to client group; II: Reference and User Services; IV: Collection Knowledge and Management.
Tess Prendergast worked as a children’s librarian for 23 years. She has a PhD in early literacy education and now teaches librarianship and children’s literature courses at The School of Information, University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. Tess is a ALSC Priority Group Consultant (for Group 6 Professional Development) and she also facilitates the annual ALSC Preschool Discussion. Tess served on the Geisel (2023) and Caldecott (2016) committees and she still maintains an annual Mock Caldecott Faceb
The post Evaluating Board Books appeared first on ALSC Blog.
A burgeoning interest in the science of infant brain development in the early 1990s led to policy shifts that focused on early childhood development. This included more attention being paid to the kinds of language and literacy experiences children had in early childhood. The market followed and publishers started creating more reading materials specifically aimed at babies. Now, board book collections for babies are standard fare in public libraries. A quick look at the board books available today make it pretty clear that this format’s time has truly come. They finally have their very own book award! The best board books contain high quality illustrations or gorgeous photographs (sometimes both!), often along with charming textual features that work together to engage and delight babies and grown-ups alike. Whether randomly stored in bins, or shelved alphabetically, these types of chunky books designed for little hands should be plentiful and well-used. Also, beyond their…
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