Product Description

Babies don't come with instructions. But this book does, guiding caregivers and their little ones to hours of gentle, hands-on fun. Enchanting watercolor paintings by Sam Williams illustrate thirty-five activities that include finger and face games, knee-ride games, a bath game, and lots of tickle games--tummies and toes, beware!

It's never too early to laugh and learn with a baby, and thee irresistible games encourage the physical play and word play that help build the skills and connections important for a healthy--and happy--life.

Thirty-five beloved baby games, including" Pat-a-cake, Peek-a-boo, To Market, to market," and many more!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #696890 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

From Amazon.com
For any new parent who wants to recreate the delightful tickling, finger play, and knee-ride nursery games of childhood, but who can't quite remember how they go, this book is a must. All the lovely old standards are included here--pat-a-cake, rub-a-dub-dub, and to market, to market--as well as some charming new ones. More than just a way to encourage baby's physical development, rhythm, and hand-eye coordination, these songs help baby and caregiver bond while fostering a habit of pleasurable, rewarding one-on-one play. Charmingly illustrated with soft watercolors, this handsome volume explains 35 activities in all. Importantly, the author points out that there is no "right" way to play these games with your baby--use these simple rhymes and songs as a starting place to develop your own personal play traditions. (Baby to preschool) --Marianne Painter

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-A lively collection of rhymes designed to create animated interactions between a baby and an adult. The activities are organized primarily by the body part they involve (the face, toes, hands, etc.). Games upon the knee comprise the largest section. Rhymes such as "Pat-a-cake" or "This Little Pig Went to Market" will be familiar; others will be less so as in this bit of toe-wiggling nonsense: "Harry Whistle,/Tommy Thistle,/Willy Whible,/Johnny Thible,/And Little Oker Bell." Some are simple and catchy enough to memorize outright but adults will want the book nearby not only for easy reference, but also for the engaging pencil-and-watercolor art. The rhyme itself is printed in bold, easy-to-read type. A smaller, italicized type gives simple directions ("Pat the baby's bare feet" or "Point to the baby's features"). The style of art is consistent throughout to create a unified whole. The round-faced babies are sweet, the chubby animals friendly, and the goofy finger people are funny. Williams's warm and open illustrations are reminiscent of the work of Helen Oxenbury. While no source material is cited, an author's note discusses the benefits of these games.
Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Birth^-4 yrs. From Pat-a-Cake to Rub-a-dub-dub, the 35 traditional games in this collection combine words, play, and rhythmic movements that babies and toddlers will never forget. In fact, as Wilner points out in her warm introduction, adults know many of these games from their own childhoods. For those who need reminding, there are picture clues and instructions on how to play the joyful tickle games, knee rides, toe games, face games, and other interactive rhymes that are often an infant's first experience of words that sing. There's a chant for a hurt hand, for naming the toes, for kissing, tickling, clapping, and for just beginning to learn the words that go with the fun. The soft-toned pencil-and-watercolor pictures show dads, moms, and various caregivers playing with exuberant babies and their toys, acting out the wild, silly nonsense and the cozy embrace that follows. Like Hindley's Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes (1999), this is a joyful very first book for lapsitting story time and for every adult with a baby to love. Hazel Rochman
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