Books for Babies is a project designed to encourage early literacy in Cedar Park by providing a new book, an invitation to sign up for "baby's first library card", and literacy literature to each newborn baby in Cedar Park.

Babies love to snuggle close when you look at a book together. This increases their sense of security and their bonding with you while building a love of reading.

Babies prefer bright and bold or high-contrast images that are easier for them to see. Books made of sturdy materials like board books are easier for babies to handle.

Describe what you're doing throughout the day. Narrate your actions. The more you talk with your baby, even before they can understand or respond, the more they will learning about language and the stronger their vocabulary will be.

Babies love to reread books and sing songs over and over again. This repetition is great because it strengthens their language development.

Read for a few minutes at a time whenever you can, but don't worry when their attention span wanders. Babies are learning so many things at once! Any and all reading you do with your child, even in small bursts, will help increase their language development, their positive feelings about reading with you, and their love of reading.

• Where Is Baby's Belly Button? by Karen Katz
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Black & White by Tana Hoban
• Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
• Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
• The I Love You Book by Todd Parr
• Press Here by Herve Tullet
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin

• Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
• The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
• Elephant & Piggie by Mo Willems