Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins, illustrated by Eric Gurney

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins, illustrated by Eric Gurney

Rating: 5 perfect stars

This is Kiefer's favorite book.  His very first favorite book, hopefully of many.  He LOVES it.  How do I know it?  He will go over to the book, flip through it, and his entire body will shake up and down as he "dances" to the rhythm that he knows exists in the pages.  (How I hope that he always dances with his whole body!  Why just tap a toe?)

I read this to him over and over again during his first year, taking his hands and tapping out the beat on his own head, on my nose, on the book itself, on his lap...wherever.  As I read I would pat his back or his toes or my hands.  It is the perfect book to make a baby fall in love with books--it is fun and cheery and silly.  Not the best bedtime book--I am guilty of riling my kids and other kids up at bedtime or anytime--but that never stopped me from reading it at bedtime.


This book is always included in my gift baskets to new parents.  It is unknown enough that I'm not worried about duplicates; I'll leave it to others to buy Goodnight Moon.  While other people are reading about mush and old ladies whispering "hush," my friends will be smiling with their kids, helping their babies learn how to love books, one book at a time.