June 07, 2016 
Kemi Faderin 
This weekend I attended my cousin’s baby shower and while every other person brought adorable gifts and essentials for the new mom-to-be, I came bearing books. Why? Well, why not? But really, it’s mostly because I have taken it upon myself to help build my little cousin’s first library.
Seeing as I don’t have any knowledge of what goes in a baby’s library past my personal favorites, OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO and HORTON HEARS A WHO by Dr. Seuss, I thought I’d enlist your help in completing this little project of mine. 
So what are the must -have books that should be included in every child’s first library? To start off, I took a poll around the office and this is what everyone had to say:
Jane suggested BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? by Bill Martin and Eric Carle, and Jessica seconded that and added GOODNIGHT GORILLA by Peggy Rathmann.
Miriam and Michael both went with Dr. Seuss and Miriam suggested a couple more titles: THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR by Eric Carle and GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU by Sam McBratney.
Stacey’s daughters have loved TAP THE MAGIC TREE and TOUCH THE BRIGHTEST STAR by our very own Christie Matheson.
Jim’s go-to baby gift is Lane Smith’s IT’S A BOOK and IT’S A LITTLE BOOK.
Lauren suggested the hilarious classic ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY, and Lisa Brown’s amazing mommy gifts BABY MIX ME A DRINK, BABY MAKE ME BREAKFAST, BABY DO MY BAKING, and other entertaining titles in the Baby Be of Use series. 
As well as the classics- Sendak, Carle, McCloskey, Rosemary Wells, etc., John also enjoys ALL THE WORLD by Liz Scanlon, which is enjoyable for both parent and child. He also made a good suggestion about getting board books, so babies can play and chew on them!
Eric added MADELINE by Ludwig Bemelmans to the list, and Mike and Sharon love THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD, GO DOG GO, and the Llama, Llama series.
Amy went with GOODNIGHT MOON by Margaret Wise Brown and Erin suggested the amazing classic, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak.
Thanks to my wonderful DGLMians , I am off to pretty good start! Are there any other titles you would like to add?
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Every book by Mem Fox could be on a list for reading in early years. Their rhythm and her choice of words are superb. WHERE IS THE GREEN SHEEP is a wonderful board book illustrated by Judy Horacek.
I’M A DIRTY DINOSAUR and I’M A HUNGRY DINOSAUR are both a delight, written by Janeen Brian and illustrated by Ann James. Love reading them!
IF YOU ARE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT! by Jan Ormerod and illustrated by Lindsey Gardiner is fun, too, but was released in about 2003 and may not be in bricks and mortar stores, though it is available from online vendors and as a Kindle book …irresistible, but practice is needed — each verse is only partially included. It could be for slightly older children. Animals provide their individual versions: “If you’re happy and you know it, wave your tail: swirl, twirl!” A blue elephant suggests “Flap your ears!”. “Ridiculous!” claims a crocodile, “If you’re happy and you know it, snap your teeth: snip, clip!” But they convince the little girl that it’s OK to do her own thing and they’ll do theirs. Nice message!
My children are now in their late 20s, so I struggle to justify buying books for this age group for my own pleasure. What a shame. But a few really are needed for research — thanks for your selection.
Sat Nam! (literally “Truth Name”–a Sikh greeting)
I’m glad to see Horton Hears a Who was near the top of your list. Mine too.
I’d add the Babar books, Seuss’s On Beyond Zebra (not sure if it’s still in print, but it outta be), and Winnie the Pooh.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
The “Little Bear” stories (can’t remember the author, but illustrated by Maurice Sendak). The first story’s silly, but the rest are gentle and loving tales — and easy for a child to read himself when he is older. Great for English Language Learners (very little slang, few idioms).
“Fox in Socks” by Seuss. Great fun, and helpful when a child is having trouble pronouncing particular sounds. (My two youngest kids both talked like Elmer Fudd, so we read this one a lot.)
The kids liked “Frog and Toad”, but personally I found them boring.
“Peter Rabbit”, of course. Potter’s other stories mostly are good only for their illustrations, as the stories are too far removed from 21st century American life.
All the books mentioned are great choices for the baby library and it is important to include books that you can sing, rhyme and act out together as your baby discovers language. Exposure to music and rhyme play a crucial part in your baby\’s healthy development. Fun rhyme books like Itsy, Bitsy Spider, Down By the Bay, Miss Lucy and others can be found in board book format that little hands can hold. And congrats on the new addition-to-be to your family!
Check out ‘Hug’ by Jez Alborough, ‘Tumble Bumble’ by Felicia Bond and ‘Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball’ by Vicki Churchill & Charles Fuge. They’re all keepers!
My “go to” books, based on what my own kids (one a book lover from birth, the other not-so-much) loved, include: Bus Stops by Taro Gomi, Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes, Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, anything by Leslie Patricelli, ditto for Sandra Boynton, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss, Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, Bunny Days by Tao Neu, and Bear About Town by D Harter.
THE NAPPING HOUSE,NO,NO NICKY, WINNIE THE POOH,ALICE IN WONDERLAND,MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS,PETER RABBIT,CORDUROY,FROG AND TOAD,THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS,WIZARD OF OZ,MATILDA,THE SECRET GARDEN,THE LITTLE PRINCESS