Baby Shower Book Gifts

My grandmother was invited to a baby shower, her first possibly since my mom was pregnant with me, that is, if my mom even had a shower.  They don't strike me as having been her thing.  My grandmother loves babies, and was delighted by the invitation, but then took a peak at the woman's three registries and quickly became overwhelmed.  So she called me looking for advice.  She simply wanted to give the mother a book for the baby, because she assumed no one else would get her something like that and she wouldn't risk a duplicate gift.  So what do babies "read" she wanted to know?  

If you want to get a book a baby will enjoy from day one, I recommend a book with pictures in high-contrasting colors.  Tana Hoban published a series of books with titles like Black & White, Black on White and White on Black, which, you guessed it, are simple pictures in black and white, such as a black maple leaf against a white background.  Newborns appear oblivious to the world around them, but put a black and white image in front of them, and they become transfixed. 

Since babies are interested in people's faces and expressions, books with full-page images of people's faces will maintain their attention.  I Love Colors by Margaret Miller, Global Babies, or any of the books in the Baby Faces series by Roberta Grobel Intrater (Smile!, Hugs and Kisses, Peek-a-Boo!, Splash!) are good examples. 

When babies are old enough to hold onto books, they'll want to touch them and put them in their mouths.  The Indestructibles series picture books printed on paper-like material that can’t be ripped, torn, or punctured.  You can even wash them in the dishwasher or washing machine, so they really live up to their name. 

Although far less indestructible than the Indestructibles series, any of the books by DK Publishing in the "Baby Touch and Feel" series hold up very well because of their sturdy, padded covers.  Each book has a subject (Animals, Pets, Things That Go, Bathtime) and each picture in the book has a segment with a texture resembling the actual object.  So the Bathtime book will have a picture of a towel and then a section of the picture has been cut out and replaced with a towel-like texture.