We are positively voracious book readers in our house and I really hope that Hector inherits our love of reading. Almost from the first day he was born I’ve read to him; I cherish this part of the day where we can relax and have a cuddle since he’s always on the move the rest of the time. More than anything I want him to see reading as an adventure, an alternate world to get lost in, a haven and a joy rather than something to endure as part of his homework or even a chore.

Reading a story is part of our bedtime routine but we read a fair bit over the course of a day too, perhaps for five minutes here or ten minutes there depending on his mood of course. And it’s not just me who shares this experience with him; in fact it’s safe to say that every single member of my family reads to him at least once over the course of a week; he’s a lucky lucky boy. I hope that he gets something different from each of us.

This week I thought it would be nice to share some of the baby books that Hector loves at his current age of thirteen months. Some he’s loved for some months now, others are a recent acquisition and I think we’ll see a subtle shift away and towards other books as we head towards the eighteen month mark. Hopefully today’s post will be of interest to those of you with littles of a similar age. Rest assured we’ll be posting similar articles for all age groups very soon.

Peepo

I couldn’t not start with this classic by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, which I remember from my own childhood. In fact I remember Peepo so well that I’m now able to read it to Hector from memory without referring back to the words which is especially good when he decides to jump ahead a page or two prematurely. That said most of the time he is content to sit on my lap and either push his hands through the peepholes as I read or instead grasp the book closely to his face so he can look through to the other side. A perfect bedtime book sharing a baby’s experiences through the course of a day from waking up in his cot, to breakfast, a spell in the park and then back home again to bedtime.

The Trouble With Bees

If I’m honest I probably wouldn’t have given The Trouble With Bees a second glance if I’d been shopping for Hector but he absolutely adores it. That’s not to say that I don’t like the book because I do but I would have thought that it would have been a little bit too old for him…shows how much I know.

A friend of the family actually purchased this for him and he’ll happily sit for hours running his fingers over the raised bees as they count down and sticking his fingers through the ever dwindling holes. I figure that this book will come especially handy once he starts learning to count and it’s a nice introduction to the Winnie The Pooh characters before he reads the proper books when he’s older.

That’s Not My…

I’m sure that you’re all super familiar with the ‘That’s Not My…’ series covering everything from hedgehog and kitten and fairy through to penguin and Father Christmas. We currently have about five in the series including the Monkey and the Fox versions and I’m sure more will be added over the next six months.

Essentially though these books provide a sensory experience for tots, teaching them different adjectives such as rough, smooth, fuzzy, furry etc etc with a texture they can run their fingers over as they read. Plus they’re super short too which helps with small attention spans.

Say Hello To…

Another series much like the ‘That’s Not My’ books described above, the books greet a variety of animals depending on the theme that makes up the title of the book. There’s quite a few in the series including baby animals, dinosaurs, jungle animals and snowy animals to name a few, so there’s something for everyone. It’s a brilliant way for kids to learn the names of all sorts of creatures along with the sounds they make. Plus all of the animals have had a slight fuzzy texture applied to the illustrations on each page so they can feel their way through the book too.

Happy

A couple of friends of ours purchased ‘Happy‘ for Hector and it’s actually one of my most treasured books. Beautifully illustrated, this rhyming book is told from the mummy (or daddy) owl’s perspective about how she or he knows that her baby is happy. Again short and sweet enough to engage and keep littles interested, the images are graphic enough to grab even the most fickle of attentions. There’s also a splattering of gold on each page which makes the book literally light up under the glow of a bedtime lamp or nightlight. Hector positively squeals with delight when I read this to him.

Dear Zoo

This classic lift-the-flap book sends me down memory lane every time Hector brings it to me to read. First published in wait for it… 1982…it’s older than I am and all the more loved for it. A brilliant way of teaching kids the names of different animals, the various textures get tots involved with the story too although Hector adamantly refuses to go near the snake’s basket or the frog’s feet. The elephant’s ear is always fondly rubbed though!

Room On The Broom

This sound book following a witch and her cat, a dog, a frog and a bird on a NOISY bumpy broomstick ride keeps Hector entertained for what must be minutes but feels like hours. Hector is content to sit and ‘read’ through this book on his own leaving me free to tidy up/cook dinner/put a wash on all whilst keeping a firm eye on him of course. In reality he flips through the pages and presses buttons at random whilst chuckling to himself. Frankly everyone’s a winner!

Sniff

Now that Hector’s motor skills are moving up a gear he’s become fascinated with levers and pulleys and flaps and Sniff most definitely scratches that itch. This small but sturdy book celebrates the sense of smell and noses with humorous illustrations and text accompanied by pull-tabs and touch-and-feel textures. As with all babies this age, Hector’s motor skills are determined but lack finesse so the super-sized pull tabs made from thick board make it easy for him to get involved without additional (and interfering) help from me.

The Animal Gallery

This pop-up book by David Pelham is less a kid’s book and more of an art form in paper sculptures. I adore it and so does Hector if his desire to look at it every night before bed is anything to go by. I should mention here that I do have to sit next to him when we look at it due to his current obsession with ripping things. There aren’t any words as such to read but I use this opportunity to freestyle, sharing vital information about the name of the animal in front of us, the sounds they make and the foods that they eat. He does an awesome elephant impression FYI.

It isn’t cheap but frankly I think it’s worth every penny.

Hector & The Hummingbird

And lastly this tale is a fairly recent addition having spotted it in a recent visit to Waterstones. The book tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a noisy hummingbird and a bear named Hector who just wants to find some peace and quiet.

Presently the book is just that little bit too long for my own Hector to sit through to the end and there aren’t any flaps to lift or fuzzy textures to explore but he is interested enough to keep coming back to it. From a parent’s perspective I love the story and the lesson it teaches (in a non-preachy way) and I know that Hector will love having another book with his name in it once he gets a bit older along with this one and this one.

So there we have it a teeny tiny round-up of some of the many books that Hector likes right now. I’m sure that even in three months time he’ll have a whole host of new books to love which perhaps I’ll share in a future post with you all.

What are your favourite books for your littles? Are there any that you feel that I absolutely need to hear about? What were your most memorable books from your childhood? Let us know in the comments below…

SHOP THE POST