Picture books deepen bond between child, adult readers

Reading with your child is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have as a parent. Sharing a book is a wonderful way to bond. And watching a child become engaged in a story or entranced by the illustrations of a favorite book is magical.

The bonus? The more you read with your child the better prepared they will be for school. So start early with these new picture books for young children.

You can begin reading to your child even before your baby is born with "Ma! There's Nothing to Do Here! A Word from Your Baby-In-Waiting" by Barbara Park (Random House, $15.99, ages 2-5).

This whimsical picture book is written as a letter from a baby in the womb to its mother. The baby is bored and already complaining.

Baby tells mom how puppies, toys and other babies to play with would certainly make the baby's wait more enjoyable. Children will delight in the playful illustrations of the baby playing on monkey bars, rowing a boat and driving a truck.

The baby continues its letter to its mother, warning her of the pitfalls of impending parenthood: "And nights might get bumpy. I'll wake, full of grumpy. And you'll have a hunch I had grouchies for lunch."

Also there are the good things: "But then, out of the blue, I will gurgle and coo. Or I'll wrinkle my nose, or discover my toes." The new mom can look forward to the baby "comin' to play."

Wonderful and tasteful pictures by Viviana Garofoli (including pictures of the baby in the womb) complement the rhyming text and thoughtful words to share with your young child.

After baby is born, share "You Were Loved Before You Were Born" by Eve Bunting & Karen Barbour (Scholastic, $16.99, ages 2-5). This beautiful picture book sends the endearing message that everyone, including neighbors, has been waiting for the child to arrive.

Folk-art-style illustrations portray various friends and family members preparing for the child to be born. Grandmother plants a rosebush, Grandfather brings over the family's rocking chair and Aunt paints the moons and stars in the child's room. The family even prepares the dog for baby's arrival.

Everyone was waiting and preparing for the baby and then the baby came. "You were loved by so many people before you were born ... and you still are," finishes the touching text that is sure to please many new parents.

The illustrations are beautiful but oddly unsuited for young children. The pictures are colorful but too vague and generic to hold a young child's attention.

Faces are simply drawn, and, despite the text, the mother never appears obviously pregnant.

What the illustrations lack in realism, however, the text most certainly makes up for. A child will love hearing about all the things a family does to prepare for a child to be born. And the sweet story is sure to encourage discussion with children about what was done in their family before they were born.

The rhythm and rhyme of "Jazz Baby" (Harcourt, $16, ages 4-8) will have you and your baby tapping your toes. Everyone in the family is involved in the fun in this melodious story: "Brother's hands tap. Sister's hands snap. Itty-bitty Baby's hands Clap-Clap-Clap!"

The text is filled with tuneful words to spark the interest of a child's ears: "So they Toot-toot-toot and they snap-snap-snap and the bouncin' baby bebops with a clap-clap-clap."

After the party ends, it's time for baby to go to bed, and the rhythm of the text slows down: "Brother's arms hold. Sister's arms hug. Rock-a-byin' Baby so warm and snug." The claps are replaced with drowsy sighs, and you can almost hear the music in the baby's house quiet down.

The wonderfully lively text by Lisa Wheeler is mirrored in the vibrant illustrations by R. Gregory Christie. Baby's family is depicted in brilliant colors and ink drawings. The illustrator uses white space to highlight the bold rhythm of the text and the smiling faces of the people. Dance and sing with your child today while enjoying this book.

It's never too early to introduce your child to books. These three titles written especially in celebration of the very youngest will help you build a library of books that your family will enjoy for years to come.