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BostonPL_Write: 11 Board Books to Support Early Literacy

Writing is one of the five early literacy practices outlined by the Every Child Ready to Read initiative. Before children can write, they must develop the fine motor skills that will enable them to hold and manipulate writing implements. When babies and toddlers practice turning pages, lift flaps, trace their fingers along lines, or point to specific objects, they begin to develop these motor skills. The books on this list are specially designed to encourage fine motor skill development in your little ones.

Boston Public Library

11 items

  • Little ones can use their fingers to follow the glittery, bumpy, shiny trails in this animal board book.
    Board BookNew York, New York : DK Publishing, [2018]
  • Encourages young readers to follow the line as it forms different shapes that demonstrate opposites.
    Board BookBrooklyn, NY : POW! a division of powerHouse Packaging & Supply, Inc., 2015. — J BOARD LJUNGKVI L
  • Toddlers develop fine motor skills as they pull tabs. Little Crocodile, Little Monkey, and their friends have siblings--siblings who take their things, make a mess, or just get in the way! But siblings can be a lot of fun, too.
    Board BookToulouse, France : Twirl/Editions Milan, 2020.
  • Young readers learn to count and explore just what their little fingers can do--by putting them through the die-cut holes on the cover and each spread. One little finger can be an elephant's trunk, two little fingers can be a crab's claw.
    Board BookMontrouge, Fance : Twirl/Éditions Milan, 2020.
  • Pull a tab to see a chick hatch from an egg or tadpoles become young frogs, push a tab to see a baby emperor penguin keep warm between his daddy's feet or a lion cub learn to hunt.
    Board BookMontrouge, France : Twirl/Éditions Milan, 2019.
  • Welcome to a unicorn's sparkling world! Push, pull and slide to bring her enchanting adventure to life.
    Board BookNew York, NY : Abrams Appleseed, an imprint of ABRAMS, 2019.
  • Using grooves and other tactile inserts, the book guides a child's fingers through different colors and shapes.
    Board BookSan Francisco, CA : Chronicle Books LLC, 2018.
  • Join in on the classic game of peek-a-boo with a pig, a sheep, and more sleepy farm animal friends by lifting the flaps to help tuck each critter into bed.
    Board BookNew York, NY : Cartwheel Books, an imprint of Scholastic, 2020. — J BOARD WAN J
  • Lift the flaps to see how a butterfly grows.
    Board BookNew York : DK Publishing, 2019. — J BOARD SIRETT D
  • See, Touch, Feel, Abc

    a First Sensory Book to Explore With Your Baby

    Priddy, Roger,
    With raised textured pages to feel, this book encourages the development of motor skills and sensory exploration, making it a fabulous addition to any child's first-learning library.
    Board BookNew York, NY : St Martin's Press, [2020].
  • Animal Shapes

    a Touch-and-feel Book

    Colorful illustrations and textured pages invite readers to learn about shapes, including circles, squares, and triangles.
    BookNew York, New York : Little Bee Books, 2015.