Gladys Hunt on the Very Earliest Readers

Editor’s Note: In our Honey for a Child’s Heart Read-along this month, we’re looking at four chapters, including Chapter 12: “A Child’s First Books.” What better time to consider Gladys’ thoughts on a babies and their first explorations of a printed page?

Babies and Blank Pages

Originally published on Tumblon, September 10, 2008.

The word awesome is vastly overused in daily conversation, but I can’t think of a better word to express how a parent feels about a new baby. What an amazing reality: that two people in loving each other have produced this new little person who has genes and traits from both of them. Is this magical or what! If you don’t feel a bit of awe, you aren’t aware of the enormity of what has happened in your life. It’s like your own personal miracle.

 A second reality is this: babies come with blank pages, and you get to write on these pages. Thrust from the warmth and security of the womb, a baby is suddenly in a strange new world. Is it safe on the outside? Where am I? From the first, your love and care furnishes this baby with a sense of belonging. As a parent, you will give your child a first view of the world. That may seem a bit lofty to contemplate when what you want most is to have your child sleep through the night. Still you need to think about what you want to inscribe on these blank pages.

One day holding our baby in my arms, enjoying that sweet smell of a contented baby, I let myself dream a little. What is it that I really want for this new little person? My mind galloped through all kinds of ideas, but in the end I knew what I wanted for this child: An uncommon awareness of the wonders and beauty of the world, of what is good and true, and an uncommon commitment to it.

Later my husband and I talked about these ideas. He was as awed as I was by the gift of this child. It is a good thing, talking like this. We need to do it more often.

In Praise of Board Books

Originally published on Tumblon, November 3, 2008

When someone asks me when to begin reading to a child, I always say, “Right from the first.” I don’t mean reading to infants who are still learning to focus their eyes. Newborns need rocking and lullabies and soft words. But within a few months you can begin with simple books.

Books and little children go together in a special way. Board Books make this statement possible for babies, since they (like puppies) drool, chew and otherwise attack objects of interest. So it follows that the best of early books should be at least reasonably baby-proof. Board books—a relatively new idea in the history of children’s books—was a genius of an idea! It has made books more user-friendly for babies.

Board Books, like all books, come in good, better and best. The best ones are put together by people who understand children in a special way. Here’s what to look for.

Pick the best, so you won’t be bored by the hundredth reading. Good books have repetition, good illustrations, bright colors –and words that have just the right cadence to make them memorable.

Test the book by reading a page or two aloud. Does it meet the sound test of words producing a musical lilt? Words alone do not make a good book. It has to sound right. Word choices are important–the right word in the right place.

You should be able to read the pictures. The pictures and the words need some connection. In some board books, like those by Tana Hoban, words are not as important as bright colors, items to notice that connect to colors and numbers. Don’t underestimate what a child learns from this kind of book.

© Gladys M. Hunt 2008-10, reissued in 2022 with minor adjustments with permission of the Executor of the Literary Estate of Gladys M. Hunt (4194 Hilton SE, Lowell, MI 49331). Used by permission. All rights reserved.