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Baby`s first birthday..............asked to buy books!

39 replies

triplets · 08/09/2013 00:01

I`m all for that! Bit out of touch as to what nice books there are for babes, any ideas please?

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nancerama · 08/09/2013 00:02

The Oliver Jeffers "once there was a boy" box set is lovely.

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sarahandemily · 08/09/2013 00:06

I got a set of 10 Julia Donaldson books from the book people for my dd's first birthday. It's fab. Lots of simple ones they will love straight away like "chocolate moose for greedy goose", and others to grow into including the classic Gruffalo. In fact she is 3.5 and we still read most of them now

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northernlurker · 08/09/2013 00:13

Where the Wild Things are - Maurice Sendak. We've read that to ours from being tiny and it's wonderful.

Peepo and Each Peach Pear Plum - J&A Ahlberg - still classics.

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northernlurker · 08/09/2013 00:14

You can get some basic Mog board books too.

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sleepyhead · 08/09/2013 00:14

I love Counting: a child's first 123 by Alison Jeffers.

Ok, he/she's a way off numbers, but the pictures are gorgeous and there's loads to spot in them. They're based on fairytale characters as well, so the big bad wolf, sleeping beauty, frog prince etc all pop up - it was ds1's favourite book for a long time.

You can also get a wall frieze, and there's an ABC too.

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sleepyhead · 08/09/2013 00:19

Oops! Alison Jay not Jeffers (I love Oliver Jeffers' illustrations too)

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staverton · 08/09/2013 00:24

The baby catalogue by the Ahlbergs
Dear zoo
Maisie books
To grow into: anything by shirley hughes eg dogger
Mpg books

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steppemum · 08/09/2013 00:27

my all time favourite baby book is dear zoo. It was the earliest book that mine liked.

Lift the flap are good, Spot are good too. I would avoid any that are just pictures and words, and go for ones with very simple story lies, they last longer.

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mirry2 · 08/09/2013 00:31

Do they still publish Spot lift the flap books? My dd had her first one when she was one and loved it. she's still got her Spot dog.

If you've got an Early Learning Centre near you they do age appropriate books.

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sweetiepie1979 · 08/09/2013 00:32

I love pip and posy

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ShadowSummer · 08/09/2013 00:37

Each Peach Pear Plum is a firm favourite in our house.

Lift the flap ones are also good - seconding recommendations for Dear Zoo. There's some good ones by Julia Donaldson too.

Also, whatever baby book you decide to get, I'd go for board book versions if possible given you're buying for a one yr old - they're harder for an overenthusiastic toddler to damage.

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northernlurker · 08/09/2013 00:40

dd1 is 15 and dd3 is 6 with dd2 in between and our board book Peepo and Each Peach are still going strong. Yes that's the way to go!

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Mumzy · 08/09/2013 09:12

Owl babies

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stargirl1701 · 08/09/2013 09:16

Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett.

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triplets · 08/09/2013 09:21

Fabulous choice.........off to Amazon, thank you!

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BonzoDooDah · 08/09/2013 09:38

Any with flaps and mirrors are excellent...
Monkey and me
mirror me was as favourite of dd s
Goodnight moon also - maybe hard to find but loved
Ones with touchy stuff like This little ... annoying as hell to read but enjoyed by babies
The babette cole books (I think it's her - am on phone so can't look) with baby pictures in like Tickle Tickle are marvellous. Babies love pictures of other babies doing things. My children did the actions with these again and again.

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MortifiedAdams · 08/09/2013 09:39

Julia Donaldson - Stick Man. Love it.

Or, buy your favourite book from your cjildhood. Even if its not suitable for a one year old they will grow.into it and it is very thoughtful.

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BonzoDooDah · 08/09/2013 09:43

OK not Babette Cole ... was Helen Oxenbury ... fabulous books ...

www.bookstart.org.uk/books/booklists/33/28894/

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TiredFeet · 08/09/2013 09:52

Julia donaldson's tales from acorn wood are great, beautifully illustrated and lift the flap with lovely simple rhyming stories

Or any julia donaldson books, my son loved the gruffalo even as a baby

Or the Pip and Posy books by axel scheffler are great, beautiful detailed pictures and a toddler friendly story line

The spot books/ dear zoo - every child loves these

I have also liked busy airport/ busy harbour. Lots of detail in the pictures and bits to pull and turn

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greenhill · 08/09/2013 09:53

Peepo by the Ahlbergs is brilliant, it's very soothing to listen to and as they get older they'll notice more of the details in the pictures.
Also any of the Hairy Maclary and Slinki Malinki stuff by Lynley Dodd, they are very funny and can bear the repetition.

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TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 08/09/2013 10:01

Pants by Nick Sharratt and Giles Andreae
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
Tiger Who Came to Tea
Any book of rhymes / nonsense

Also remember its important to buy books that the parents enjoy reading - anything that's funny / non-preachy or has lovely rhyming sounds and is short goes down well.

There are a lot of AWFUL children's books. THomas the Tank Engine and most TV tie ins or supermarket anthologies of stories tend to be dire.

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TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 08/09/2013 10:02

Also, A Very Hungry Caterpillar - there are a few different versions you can buy - with flaps, finger holes etc.

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Mumzy · 08/09/2013 10:15

Also the Sarah Garland series, few words but beautiful illustrations which all my dcs loved looking at the everyday tasks from a child's eye view
www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Sarah%20garland&rh=n%3A266239%2Ck%3ASarah%20garland&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

books by Shirley hughes again beautiful pictures which both dcs& dps will enjoy
What do people do all day by Richard Scary ds1 had that read to him every night for 6 months
Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs has come out every December in the lead up to Xmas for the past 11 years

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Mumzy · 08/09/2013 10:22
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RobotHamster · 08/09/2013 10:24

Not the gruffalo or where the wild things are. They're brilliant books, but seem to be the first choice for presents, we have 3 of each!

Oliver Jeffers is a great suggestion though

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