Water

by John Hutton, Andrea Kang (Illustrations)

Drop from clouds. Drip from sink. Water to play. Water to drink! Water and its life-sustaining magic are joyfully presented in this book for babies and from puddles to pools, rivers to tubs, inspiration for the next generation of swimmers, sailors, and biologists. From the award-winning Baby Unplugged series, dedicated to simple yet developmentally stimulating childhood icons and experiences, healthy alternatives to screen-based media. Such experiences are increasingly viewed as essential for healthy development, yet at risk with the encroachment of "educational" screen-based media, linked to epidemic child health and behavior problems.

14 pages, Board Book

First published April 1, 2014

About the author

Dr. John S. Hutton is a pediatrician and researcher at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, owner/overseer of blue manatee children’s bookstore and founder of blue manatee press. His research and advocacy interests are the influence of home reading environment and shared reading on early brain development, the health effects of screen-based media, and the creation of children's books to effectively convey infant and child health information. His research was the first to show a measurable effect of home reading exposure prior to kindergarten on brain function, using functional MRI. His Baby Unplugged and Love Baby Healthy book series have been distributed to over 1 million families nationwide, often via statewide public health initiatives. A recovering novelist, he has won awards for his writing in several genres, and attended writing workshops in Iowa City and Squaw Valley, CA. He lives with his family, dogs, cat, rabbit, fish, and a whole bunch of Bees, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Reviews

[Benjamin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a standard baby book with tortured rhymes. Meh, three stars.

Oh wait, the author wants credit for being an MD and for not including batteries? While those might be, respectively, a laudable accomplishment and a worthwhile goal, this was supposed to be about spending time with my kid. Self-congratulatory judgment wasn't invited. Two stars.

my favorite quote: "Outdoor water: ponds alive!"