BOOKS INSPIRE US TO DREAM - BOOKS GIVE US THE TOOLS TO ACHIEVE OUR DREAMS.

WHERE MAGIC BEGINS - ONCE YOU LEARN TO READ, YOU ARE FOREVER FREE !- Frederick Douglass 

Books create warm emotional bonds between adults and kids when they read books together or exploring the magical painted kingdom inside the books.

Books help kids develop basic language skills and profoundly expand their vocabularies—much more than any other media. At the same time Books are interactive; they demand that kids think. Fiction and nonfiction books widen our consciousness. They give us new ways to think and new ideas. They expand our universe beyond time and place and inspire our own original thoughts.

We asked some of our loyal customers and amazing parents to share with us their favorite books for babies and toddlers and here are some of their suggestions. Most of them are Montessori based (Montessori is all about seeing the child as capable, confident and having the ability to contribute to their community – more about Montessori will follow in one of our articles).

1. GLOBAL BABIES – meet babies from different countries in this joyful celebration of our global heritage
2. Animal Friends: A Global Celebration of Children and Animals (Global Fund for Children Books) – “No matter if your friends have feathers or fur or if they're big or small you need to love and take care of them. Smiling faces from fifteen countries around the world introduce adorable, and sometimes exotic, animal friends”
3. Global Baby Boys (Global Fund for Children Books)- Celebrate baby boys everywhere! In the tradition of best-selling GLOBAL BABIES, GLOBAL BABY BOYS shine a spotlight on boys from around the world, celebrating their strength, diversity, and potential.
4. Global Baby Girls (Global Fund for Children Books) -in the tradition of best-selling GLOBAL BABIES, GLOBAL BABY GIRLS shine a spotlight on girls from around the world, celebrating their strength, diversity, and potential.
5. Making Faces: A First Book of Emotions
6. Carry Me (Babies Everywhere)- Whether tucked in a blanket, peeking out of a basket, riding in a backpack, or wrapped in a parent’s arms, babies worldwide are carried in unique ways.
7. Hands Can - Hands can do all kinds of things! A rhyming text with eye-catching color photos offers just the encouragement young children need to explore their world — hands on.
8. Splash! (Baby Faces Board Book)- The perfect bath time book and an ideal first read-aloud book, this new addition to the popular Baby Faces series, has appealing photos of multicultural babies and toddlers, and a brief, rhyming text.
9. Diwali Lights - Every year in October or November people come together to celebrate Diwali. It is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. The stories woven into the festival of Diwali celebrate the victory of good over evil and light over darkness, and people celebrate this festival of lights by lighting clay lamps and candles, sharing sweets, exchanging gifts, offering prayers to gods and goddesses and watching fireworks. Introduce your little one to the awe of this brilliant festival through dazzling photographs and Singh's lyrical prose.
10. See, touch, feel – a first sensory book to share with your baby

In case you have some great recommendations, we would like to hear from you. Send us email at friends@heraandhermes.com