When I am choosing board books, whether for an individual baby or to bring to an infant classroom on the bookmobile, there is one author who clearly rises above the rest. The carefully crafted goofy gems — from 1977’s Hippos Go Berserk! to 2010’s Perfect Piggies! — by Sandra Boynton have elicited giggles, snorts and Chattanooga piggy-piggy piggledy-dees from many a child and adult.
The classic Moo, Baa, La La La! is a paradigm of excellence, meeting and exceeding all criteria for choosing a good board book for babies.
Sturdy, safe, and the right size for little hands.
Clear, simple illustrations or photographs for little eyes.
Only a few words per page for little attention spans.
A pleasing rhythm, cadence, and flow for little ears.
A topic of interest for little brains.
Charm, humor, and opportunities for interaction for their big personalities.
Looking for Boynton in the snazzy new library catalog? You will find her marvelous music, but no Boynton on board. We smart folks at the Library have figured out that we can buy many more board books if we don’t spend the time and money to enter them in the catalog and attach RFID tags and such to each one. You can find them in a bin or basket in the children’s area of each branch library and check them out on the honor system. One major advantage of this is that your kid won’t eat an RFID tag and set off the alarm every time you enter the library. Another is that you won’t get charged fees for damages if books are chewed and drooled upon as your child explores and engages with them.
Do you and a child you love have a favorite Boynton board book? Or is there another author who you think does it better on board?
~ Robin, Mobile Services
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