A Story Lives in This Book
Bring a picture book to life with gestures, voices, and a clear beginning and ending. Your baby can follow their favorite pages and gradually connect the cover with the story inside.
- 9 months
- Quick prep
- At home
- About 5 minutes
Developmental benefits
- Language：Pointing to the cover and acting out the pictures helps your baby become familiar with the book and connect its images with a continuing story.
- Cognitive：Expressive actions and sounds give your baby clear, interesting examples to watch and imitate.
Preparation
What You’ll Need
- 1
A picture book your baby enjoys
Step 1
Begin with the Cover
Show the cover and talk briefly about the title and picture. As you read, act out the images with movement and sound. When one page catches your baby’s interest, invite them to copy an action from the story.
What to notice
- Pats the book while showing interest in a picture
Emergent Literacy - Reaches toward the book to keep the performance going
Initiative and Curiosity
Tips
- A nine-month-old may show interest by staring longer, reaching, patting, or making an excited sound.
- You do not need to read every printed word. Use your face, voice, and body to make the picture vivid.
- Pause after pointing so your baby has time to look at the picture.
- Spending time on the cover helps establish it as the beginning and makes its characters easier to connect with the pages inside.
Step 2
Follow Your Baby’s Favorite Page
Continue acting out each page while watching your baby’s movements. If their gaze stays on one picture or a hand turns back, return to that page and repeat its words and actions.
What to notice
- Attempts to copy an action you performed from the story
Imitation and Symbolic Representation and Play - Looks toward the bird in the book when you say “bird” Emergent Literacy
Tips
- Vary a repeated page with a new character voice or tone.
- Patting or turning a page is one way your baby can participate in reading.
Step 3
Close the Book and Say Goodbye
Spend more time on the pictures your baby chooses, then return to the cover and connect its character with the story. At the end, close the book and wave goodbye so the same small ritual marks that the story is finished.
What to notice
- Waves a hand after hearing you say goodbye
Attending and Understanding - Looks at a page while you describe what happens in its picture Emergent Literacy
Tips
- Repeat the same ending action—close the book gently and wave—to make the final page easier to recognize.
- Answer your baby’s sound or gesture so reading remains a back-and-forth interaction.
- You might echo a sound, nod, or pat your baby’s hand when they respond to a page.
- Pause for a few seconds between moments so the story unfolds as a sequence rather than disconnected pictures.
Better Parenting Content Team · Updated September 11, 2026