I bought this book for my son for his one-month birthday. Almost immediately he gravitated to the Black silhouettes of familiar objects on a white background. He loved it--and it held up well to his teething.Only one down side: After only a few short months his interest in this book has waned whereas his interest in other, more colorful books has picked up. For that reason I would suggest buying this book as a shower gift or for an infant under six months old. Black on White
Since infants are more aware of contrast than color in the beginning, I 'read' this book with my daughter from the time she was four months old through about her first year. Cover to cover, I read the words (title and book description, which almost hypnotically became part of the experience!) and described the pictures, sometimes tracing them with a finger. Our interaction with the small book was cuddly and verbal, as the images served as guides. She had her favorites, and the book is well-worn, chewed in places. It was a daily gentle activity, holding her interest, obviously delighting and stimulating, and paved the way for more and more books. Personally I prefer it to the White on Black, and always give it as part of a gift packet to friends with a new baby in their lives.
I bought this book on Amazon 18 months ago for my newborn nephew. He had other books, but for months this was the only book that interested him. I remember sitting with him and holding the pictures in front of him while he stared at them. Later, he learned how to turn the pages. Now, he uses it less, but is starting to learn the names of some of the pictures. As with the other reviewers, I have also given this as a gift to newborns. The White on Black book was not a winner with my nephew.
This is a great book for parents to share with their infants--to the newly talking. Each page features a distinct and easily recognizabe shape. The hard pages are nearly indestructable. Our kids loved looking at these books. We cried when we finally moved them into the garage because the kids had finally outgrown them. We make these part of every baby shower basket we put together. It's never too early to get into the habit of "reading" to your children, and these are the perfect "first books" for every child.
This is one of several black and white books that we got before our first baby was born. He definitely did like the black and white books more than other books for the first several months, and this one was fine. However, I usually chose other books because I wasn't totally sure what one of the pictures in this book was supposed to be (Ritz crackers? Flowers without stems???) Also, the pictures are all completely unrelated to each other, so it may be hard to find things to say to your baby about them if you're not someone who can easily make conversation about anything! If I could only get one black and white book, I'd definitely go with Look, Look! by Peter Linenthal, as the baby was most fascinated by the pictures in that one, and it had a simple text (this book has no words) that helped me come up with stuff to say about each page.
Baby's had this book since birth... and after 4 months, it is still one of her favorites. The pictures really grab her attention, and she likes to study them. Also since there are no words, you can make up a new story for the pictures each time if you want!
Granted, my son is only four months old, but this book is a big hit. I'm sure he'll outgrow it eventually, but that's the case with any book! If you have a very little one, this is a great book to start with. My son has only a dozen or so books so far, and out of all of them, this is the one he kicks and coos at the most. I'm attending a baby shower in a couple months and I'm definitely going to throw in a copy of "Black on White" for her.
Who says babies are too young for books? This book (and Ms. Hoban's other similar books)is a shining example that we're never too young to be introduced to books and reading. The bright, crisp, contrasting images are perfect for new babies. My baby loves this book, and will sit entranced for quite a while as we talk about the images we see. My only complaint would be that it is too short! (Of course, so are babies' attention spans) I think this book is a great baby shower or 'new baby' present. Their first book, what could be a better gift?
I used to work with children's books, and have probably tried 100 books out with my 2 1/2 month old. This is the only book she LOVES to look at that doesn't have moving parts. Sure, she likes to listen to other books, but this is the one that is visually exciting to her. I can prop it up for her to look at and she keeps staring, transfixed, even as I go run to get the phone or whatever. The folks who complain that it bores them or their older babies have missed the point. Bold black and white books like this are for very young babies, when their vision and brains are still developing. No, it doesn't tell a story; that is not the purpose of this book. It is all looking at an interesting shape. No, these aren't the most common things in your child's life; this is perfectly appropriate, because they wouldn't be able to connect any shape, object and word this young even if you tried. No, you won't use it for years, or even a whole year, probably. I think less than $10 is not too much to pay for something that is going to get my child excited about interacting with books from day 1. Plus so much is overwhelming as a new baby/parent, and this is one thing that you can definitely enjoy together. I am planning on giving Black & White, which I think is the fold-out version, as baby gifts from now on.
Newborn babies' vision is not highly developed. High-contrast patterns or pictures are easiest for them to see in the first few months of life. Tana Hoban's black & white board books are terrific choices. With simple illustrations of objects that will be familiar to babies, this book meets all my criteria for choosing books for babies. A fantastic choice for a new baby gift. - Board Book - Baby Book - Newborn Gift - Childrens Books'
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