This post originally appeared on Book Riot. Becuase of that, you may notice that Marian is suddenly an infant once more, ha! I decided to repost it because black and white board books are so important to early development. But y’all get a bonus picture of baby Marian!
The first item I bought for my little one was a book. That should surprise absolutely no one reading this.
Because I work at a used bookstore, almost every week of my pregnancy resulted in more and more books brought home. Like many parents, I made sure to stock Marian’s shelves with some of my own favorites: all of Maurice Sendak’s books, lots of feminist picture books—like Rosie Revere, Engineer—and random gorgeous ones—like Pool by Jihyeon Lee. At this point, my now 8-week-old little one has two full bookshelves filled with children’s books.
Is Marian interested in these books? Not in the least. In fact, she often sleeps right through story time. So ungrateful, and not even a teenager yet.
But that’s not to say she finds all books a snooze-fest. There’s one type of book that she can stare at for, well, several intense minutes, which in baby time is a long, long time. Those books are black and white board books.
Research shows that newborns prefer black and white. They’re still developing their eye sight, and the high contrast between black and white captivates their attention. That’s certainly true for Marian. In fact, after seeing a picture of fellow Rioter Jen Sherman’s little one with a book by her changing table, I’ve placed a black and white board book by Marian’s changing table so she has something engaging to look at during diaper changes! And she does like looking at it, in between kicks and sticking her tongue out at Mommy!
I now wish I’d bought more black and white board books instead of the pretty illustrated picture books, but she’s sure to enjoy those later.
I’ve gathered a list of Marian’s and my favorite black and white board books. Whether buying for your own newborn or someone else’s, I highly recommend them.
5 Must-Read Black and White Board Books
Spots and Dots from Art Baby
This is the one I have at Marian’s changing table. It’s perhaps the most popular black and white board book, featuring artsy images of…spots and dots. Except one page has squares, which bothers me. It doesn’t bother Marian, however. You can also check out Hearts & Stars by the same publisher.
I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy
This is my favorite. In addition to the cute black and white illustrations (with some color mixed in), I love the interaction between baby and parent on each page. I make sure to kiss and sing to my baby as I read it to her!
Look, Look! by Peter Linenthal
A cute and simple book with large black and white illustrations. Marian particular likes the pages with children smiling, probably because it features faces, which babies love! I find these pages creepy, but whatever pleases Marian pleases Mommy too. The author has several other black and white board books too.
Baby Animals Black and White by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes
Because animals are fantastic and cute! Make sure to make animal noises as you read to your little one. I know Marian loves it when I make funny noises.
Checkers and Dot by J. Torres
There are four Checkers and Dot books, and this is the first, where you’re introduced to all the characters. This one actually has a storyline for the adults, if a simple one. So both baby and parent can enjoy it!
Does your baby have a favorite black and white board book?
If you’re looking for more books for an infant, check out Jen and Tilly’s 20 essential board books for your baby’s library.
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