All you moms out there already know this, but for those expecting moms that don't- it's only natural for babies to chew on books! They chew on everything! But our natural reaction is to say, "Oh, no! Don't chew on the book."
But we don't want to do that because it leaves the baby thinking it must not be a good thing to explore books. They will be discouraged in exploring books and have a negative association with books! Really!
So, instead we can say, "Oh, that book looks mighty tasty; let's take it out of your mouth and see what it says!" Then start reading the book, talking about the pictures, making appropriate facial expressions and pointing to interesting things! So, there is a redirection in how to explore the book, but in a very fun, positive approach!
Remember- Early literacy is a baby who chews on a book, a toddler who wants his favorite book read over and over, and a preschooler who "reads" the story to you from memory. These are all normal developmental stages of a reader!
