Books for Newborns (and their Parents!)

Are you a parent? Do you know someone who is? Then this list is for you!

At baby showers, I love to give books. Baby-themed picture books can shine a spotlight on the parenting experience and give new parents a window through which to glimpse this new chapter in their lives. This list tugs at the heartstrings, speaking to the anticipation of baby's arrival, waxing poetic when baby arrives, and poking fun at the challenges baby brings. Here is a cross-section of my favorite baby-themed books... in chronological order :)

Ma! There's Nothing to Do Here!: A Word from Your Baby-in-Waiting (Barbara Park and Viviana Carofoli) - This tongue-in-cheek imagining of what a baby thinks of the womb is hysterical. And yet, when I was pregnant (and oh so hormonal), it made me cry every time. Cute, funny, poignant, and sweet. The perfect baby shower gift!

The Baby Shower (Eve Bunting and Judy Love) - Eve Bunting's cheerful poem taps into the excitement and anticipation that comes with expecting a baby, and not just for the parents-to-be! If animals threw baby showers, they'd do it just like this!

On the Day You Were Born (Debra Frasier) - This book is a poem in free verse. It is also a science lesson about the world around you. Expanded into detailed notes at the end, Frasier uses natural phenomena, such as migrating animals, gravity, and the orbiting moon, to build her story of celebration.

On the Night You Were Born (Nancy Tillman) - "Because there had never been anyone like you... ever in the world." In rhyming verse, a child's unique self is joyfully honored. The illustrations give the verse a musical quality with music notes scattered throughout the scenes. A child will ask for this one again and again.

Hush, Little Baby (Sylvia Long) - In this beautiful, lyrical update, Sylvia Long moves the text away from pacifying a child with material  gifts to emphasizing an exploration of the world and the parent-child relationship. It is the only version I sing to my kids. LOVE this one.

The Boss Baby (Marla Frazee) - Marla Frazee has got to be one of my favorite illustrators. In a vintage style, she dresses the baby in a suit and tie and proceeds to describe his behavior as a tyrannical boss. "He conducted meetings. Lots and lots and lots of meetings, many in the middle of the night." This book falls under the category It's funny because it's true.