Invite an infant to sit on your lap to read a book. Introduce the book by pointing to the cover and describing the picture. Example: “This is a mommy, a baby, and a sister. They live on a farm with lots of noisy animals! Our book tells us about the sounds made by animals on the farm. We can listen to the sounds and talk about the pictures.” Use the following strategies to engage the infant in the book:

• Invite the infant to help you turn pages of the book.
• Describe pictures in your own words. Point to and name the animals, people, and objects. Example: “These are sheep. The sheep are soft. Look, here is a bunny! I see a dog and a squirrel. There are a lot of animals in this picture!”
• Describe what the infant is looking at. Example: “You are looking at the geese. The geese are saying ‘honk, honk!’ The farmer is trying to drive his truck. The geese are on the road!”
• Spend more time talking about pictures that seem to be of particular interest to the infant. Example: “The dogs are running. Look, their tongues are out! The dogs are barking. Do you see the squirrels? The dogs are chasing the squirrels!”
• Describe and respond to gestures or vocalizations. Example: “You said, ‘moo!’ You know that cows say ‘moo.’ The cows in the picture are saying ‘moo, moo!’”
• Help the infant connect book information to his/her own experiences and developing knowledge. Example: “Look at the cats! You have a cat at your house! The cats in the book are saying ‘meow.’ What does your cat say?”
• Exaggerate the animal sounds and say them with enthusiasm.
• Recognize the infant’s participation in the book reading. Example: “We had fun reading this book together, Isaiah. You turned the pages! You helped me say ‘moo’ when we looked at the picture of the cows! The farm animals were noisy. The mommy said ‘shhh!’”

Invite an older infant to read a book with you. The infant may wish to sit or stand next to you. Encourage the infant to help you hold the book and turn the pages.

Once the infant is comfortable and ready, point to the picture on the book cover. Example: “Look at the family in this picture. The mommy is saying ‘shhh.’ The family lives on a farm. There are noisy animals on the farm! Our book tells us about the animals and the sounds they make. You can listen to the animal sounds! You can help me make the animal sounds!” Use the following strategies to engage the infant in the book:

• Describe pictures in your own words. Point to and name the animals, people, and objects. Example: “These are birds. The birds are in a tree! Look, there are squirrels in the tree, too. The girls on the swing are looking at the birds. The birds are singing! They are saying ‘cheep, cheep.’”
• Emphasize the sounds made by animals with your voice and with repetition. Invite the infant to say the animal sounds with you. Example: “The pig is saying ‘oink, oink, oink.’ You can say ‘oink, oink’ with me! ‘Oink, oink.’”
• Invite the infant to point to objects that you name. Example: “Look at the goats jumping and playing! I see a dog. Do you see the dog? You can point to the dog!”
• Spend more time on pictures that seem to be of particular interest to the infant. Example: “You are looking at the pigs. Pigs like to lay in the mud. Pigs get dirty! Look, this pig is playing with the children!”
• Describe and respond to gestures or vocalizations. Example: “You are pointing to the cat. You said ‘meow!’ You know that cats say ‘meow.’ I will say ‘meow, meow’ with you! ‘Meow, meow!’”
• Help the infant connect book information to his/her own experiences and developing knowledge. Example: “The baby in our book is going to sleep. The mommy wants the animals to be quiet. She says ‘shhh’ to the animals. You have a baby at your house, Tameka. Do people ever say ‘shhh’ when your baby brother is sleeping?”
• Recognize the infant’s participation in the book reading. Example: “You helped me hold our book and say animal noises, Destiny. You pointed to the ducks. You said ‘quack, quack.’ You liked the picture of the goats jumping and playing! You turned the pages to see what animals were next. We had fun reading this book together!”