"All About Books is very proud to partner with Reach Out and Read and provide books to support the Book Showcase. I've worked with Anna McBee for many years, and it's awesome to see how she educates providers on how to use the books on an even deeper level and further enhance a Reach Out and Read well-child visit. We are happy to support this initiative for another year and are excited to see its growth beyond the Carolinas."
Sarah Pelkey, Director of Sales and Marketing at All About Books
Developmental Guidelines: Infants
*Information provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics
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Photographs of other babies & familiar objects
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Allows for pointing and naming of objects
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Contrasting Colors
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Durable, Tactile Books
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Books that can easily be sung to them
Books with Photographs of Other Babies & Familiar Objects
Books that include familiar objects allow opportunities for parents and caregivers to point to objects and name them which supports language development.
I Love to Play
With vibrant pictures that capture everyday scenes, this relatable book demonstrates the ways babies play.
Developmental Highlights & Diverse Elements: This title features photos of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Middle-Eastern babies and their families engaging in typical, every-day activities. This book also features a child with Down Syndrome playing with blocks.
I Already Love You
This board book bursts with heart as it describes the love a parent feels for their child from the moment
of meeting—and beyond. From eyes, to lips, to fingers, to toes, all parents will know what it feels like to love every inch of your baby— and babies and toddlers will feel the love, too
Developmental Highlights & Diverse Elements: This book allows opportunities for parents to point to body parts (eyes, ears, toes, etc.) that are mentioned in the story. This book also features Black, Asian, and Middle Eastern babies and families throughout the story.
Baby’s Feelings
A First Book of Emotions-Happy, Angry, Sad or Surprised, its’s never too early to teach babies about their feelings and emotions. This simple book shares pictures of babies to help a young child identify emotions even before they can say their first words. Can you make a HAPPY face? Can you make a SURPRISED face? Have fun exploring your child’s emotions together.
Developmental Highlights & Diverse Elements: This book features babies of various ethnicities. Because this book has photos of babies’ faces showing emotions, this could be a great choice for any child as they learn to express emotions.
Durable/Tactile Books
Board books with rounded edges and thick pages or books that are soft, furry, and have lots of textures or mirrors are great options for infants. Parents can introduce funny animal sounds or object sounds to encourage laughter. Additionally, parents can encourage active playtime by using the book to entice the infant to roll and reach for the book.
Touch and Feel Yummy Mealtime
Teach baby about mealtime from sequined sippy cups to favorite foods and more in this touch and feel board book that is perfect for little hands to explore. Every spread has a photorealistic picture of meal time items for your child to learn and enjoy in this first words touch and feel book.
Developmental Highlights & Diverse Elements: This book is a great option to introduce healthy eating habit discussions. Additionally, it might also be a good choice for a child with vision loss as it has textures, pop-up, or raised images. There are quite a few other “touch and feel” books that are available as well with similar features.
Books that Can Be Sung
Choose books that parents can use to sing to their newborn. Parents can learn the song and sing anytime, even when the book isn’t present. Books with nursery rhymes or songs can also help parents act out the lyrics (e.g. touching baby’s body parts to match the story/song).
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Illustrator Charles Reasonor’s charming version of the traditional nursery rhyme Itsy Bitsy Spider. Word balloons add a touch of sweet humor to the familiar tale.
Developmental Highlights & Diverse Elements: This book could be a good option for children with speech and language delay because parents/caregivers can clap along to the rhythm and help him clap along. As he develops, ask him to fill in words. “Itsy bitsy....” features.
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Bounce & Jiggle
Singing, accompanied by energetic activities, encourages babies to express their emotions, release tension-and just enjoy being noisy!
Developmental Highlights & Diverse Elements: “Bounce & Jiggle” and “Touch & Tickle” feature babies with hearing aids. All titles feature Black and Hispanic babies. These books provide activity prompts for parents and caregivers to interact with baby.
Hey there, I’m Anna McBee
Anna McBee serves as a Senior Program Manager at Reach Out and Read South Carolina. She is the visionary behind the Book Showcase Program, which assists pediatricians and nurses in utilizing the Reach Out and Read Developmental Age Assessment Model in conjunction with books sourced from All About Books.
