Lapsit programs have been gaining in popularity and frequency. Some librarians split their groups between walkers and non-walkers and others just blend them all together. However you do it make sure you have the adult participation so crucial to success. Here are some books, activities, and music to get you started.

Here is a list of baby storytime favorites (Word document) from the librarians at the Deshutes Public Library.

1,2,3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle

600 Black Spots by David A. Carter [this absolutely mesmerized the babies and makes them belly laugh!]

Asleep, Asleep by Mirra Ginsburg

Bear in Sunshine by Blackstone [and other books in this series]

Belly Button Book! By Sandra Boynton

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? [which I reinforce with a flannelboard]

Cat’s Colors by Cabrera

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell [Try this with toddlers by putting all the animals in a big brown box or use puppets and pull each one out as the story goes and then throw each one over your shoulder. At the bottom of your box is of course the puppy and you want to delay that surprise for as long as you can.]

Doggies: A Counting and Barking Book by Sandra Boynton [Use this one as a shared reading and have everyone howl, bark or yap accordingly!]

Freight Train by Donald Crews [I like to do this one with little card stock freight train stick puppets that they chug along with the book, going faster as the train picks up speed. Then we color then at the end.]

Funny Faces series by by Roger Priddy  

Fuzzy, Fuzzy, Fuzzy! by Sandra Boynton

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown [You can read this to your group or just the board book to share with all and have the adults read round robin.]

Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr.

I Love Animals by Flora McDonnell

If You’re Happy and You Know It by David Carter [both for Mother Goose and for Toddler Time]

Little Gorilla by Bornstein

Look At Me by Begin Smart Books

Moo, Baa, La La La by Sandra Boynton [great for hamming up the animal sounds]

Peekaboo Blueberry by Barney Saltzberg

Peek-a-Pet by Cimarusti [and others in this series]

Shake it up Baby!. It has a rattle attached to it!

Silly Little Goose by Nancy Tafuri

Sleepy Bear by Dabcovitch

So Big! by Dan Yaccarino

Splash by Flora McDonnell

Spots, Feathers, and Curly Tails by Tafuri [almost anything by Tafuri]

Ten, Nine Eight by Molly Bang

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

We’ve All Got Bellybuttons by David Martin

Who Am I? by Begin Smart Books [the book with the eye holes creating an animal mask – good for animal noises]

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