Day 63: Fuzzy Bee and Friends

Time for another favorite that is perfect for infants and young babies!  My daughter was completely mesmorized by this book as we read it before bed tonight, just as my son used to be.  She must have turned through all the pages ten times, touching and carefully studying each tactile feature along the way.  She was especially fascinated by the fly's shiny eyes and the snail's shimmery body!  (My son always loved the beetle's and dragonfly's wings.) There are several of these cloth books in the series by Priddy Books, and we were fortunate to receive all three as gifts:  Fuzzy Bee and Friends, Squishy Turtle and Friends, and Fluffy Chick and Friends.  (I listed them in our order of preference, but all three are good.)  They make a perfect first book for any baby for a variety of reasons.  The cloth pages are soft and easy for little fingers to grab and turn.  The colors are bold and the illustrations are simple yet striking, instantly grabbing baby's attention.  Each page features a different textured fabric or other tactile elements -- spindly spider legs,  shiny ladybug spots, satiny butterfly wings -- which are great for fostering a child's sensory awareness and curiosity.  The simple text has an easy rhythm to it, making it appealing to little ears, and perhaps most importantly, babies can chew on these books to their hearts' content.  My daughter doesn't discriminate -- she'll chew on any book -- but it's nice not to have to remove soggy little bits of board book from her mouth while she "reads."  My kids have loved these books from the beginning, and my son especially loves to sit and read them to his little sister now.  Endorsements don't get any cuter than that.