When we asked Susan to tell us more about “The Quiet Mouse,” she said, “I work all day in my attic studio with my fluffy fat cat who regularly chimes in with his expertise. He was especially interested in this Babybug illustration, since he considers himself an expert on all things rodent.

“Many animals have populated my studio through the years, including my 13-year-old newts, Olivia Newt and John. When I read the poem about the Quiet Mouse living in a quiet house, it seemed only natural that our mouse should live in a library where quietness reigns! And since he is in a library, he should have a book and–of course–a friend he could read to.

“My studio is warm and cozy in the winter, but is unfortunately EXTREMELY warm in the summer, which is when our Quiet Mouse was created. Since the AC and 3 fans can’t keep things cool in a Nashville summer, I have to get creative in warding off the clay melt with my trusty turkey roaster pan. My video shows the work in progress, and a glimpse of my studio in all of its messy glory.”

To learn more about Susan and her artwork, please visit her website.

I started reading Babybug with my infant at 1 month. As she has settled down, I am making this part of her nightly routine (she is 3 1/2 months now). She likes the pictures and snuggling up to read. Should I limit how much we read each night? Should I read the same story several times? I am a middle school teacher and want to create the love for reading with my daughter.

Also, my husband is German and I recently went on a search for baby books in German. They are VERY expensive so I have tried to get titles that I know I can get in English as well. Do you know of a Babybug-like book in German?

Also, any good scales for free to track my child’s development? When I practiced Audiology, I used the Elm scale, but it is not free. Would like to monitor her development, but since returning to work I have not had the time to research this. I am currently a SPED teacher.

Your daughter is learning the most important lessons possible about reading: She’s discovering that reading is an activity that is not only enjoyable and satisfying, but that the important grown-ups in her life also find valuable.  It sounds like you are sensitive to your baby’s reactions and have noticed that she already enjoys the pictures and the snuggling that accompany reading. Continue to watch how she responds. Doing so is the best way to determine how long to make a reading session last—within your own time constraints, of course. You’ve probably noticed that BABYBUG suggests finger plays and movement activities to enrich reading time as your child grows older, but right now the quiet time together sounds ideal.  As for reading the same story again and again, babies do thrive on repetition, so continue to repeat her favorites while introducing new selections.

If you can find an inexpensive German version of Mother Goose, it would be both familiar to you and similar to a number of the selections in BABYBUG.

One of the very best resources for infant development is the National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families. You might want to explore the Early Development part of the Behavior and Development section at their website, www.zerotothree.org. It’s free–and reliable!

-Sally Nurss

You can ask Sally your own questions here, or in the comments.

-Judith Sullivan, NC

Right when a baby becomes more mobile–crawling efficiently, taking his first steps–separation anxiety arises.  His new-found mobility makes him aware that he really is separate from you, that he really does need you, and that he definitely wants to know where you are. To make matters even more complicated, one-year-olds now understand object permanence. They know that objects—and people—still exist even when they’re out of sight. Your son knows that when you walk into another room, you must be somewhere. He just doesn’t know when you’ll be back, or if you’re ever coming back. It’s an awful feeling, as you can imagine. So he howls and tries to follow you.

As you point out, the real question is how to gently calm this anxiety. Time and experience help, of course. But in the meantime, you may also want to try these suggestions to help your son cope with brief, daily separations in your home:

Say a confident good-bye, or something like “I’m going into the kitchen now” rather than slipping away. (Otherwise, he’ll worry that you could disappear at any time unless he watches you.) Add cheerfully, “I’ll be right back.”

Call out to your child so that he feels like he’s in contact with you when you have to be out of sight for a moment.

Respond to his need to have you near. The more you resist, the longer his anxiety will last. Consider carrying him in a baby sling during those times when he wants to be carried but you need to have both hands free.

When your son crawls or toddles off to explore in a safe environment, stay in one place so he can easily look back to find you.

Read him stories about separation. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson is a reassuring one. When Mama Comes Home Tonight by Eileen Spinelli is another.

Play games like peek-a-boo often. It’s a way for your baby to become comfortable with having you disappear and, more importantly, reappear.

You can ask Sally your own baby questions here.

Black and white patterns are perfect for newborns.

Here’s another reader question from Sally Nurss. You can ask Sally your own baby questions here.

There are so many baby board books out there. How do I choose the best ones?
-Judith Sullivan, NC

When choosing board books for babies, it helps to consider what they can see. Thinking about what babies are drawn to visually in the first year can help you decide which books to choose.

If you’ve ever looked at a catalogue of toys for newborns and young infants, you know that they contain lots of toys with black and white patterns.  This is because infants up to two or three months are very interested in contrast. Color doesn’t seem to matter so much to newborns; they are more likely to be drawn to the contrast between dark and light. For very young infants, choose board books with big, simple contrasts in the illustrations.

By 6 to 8 weeks, babies become more aware of color and are increasingly attracted to shapes and angles. In these early weeks, look for board books with illustrations that show lots of angles, true colors and clearly defined edges.

At about three months, babies start to scan the environment. They’re searching for moderate novelty—something that is familiar enough to be reassuring and different enough to be interesting. That, of course, will vary from baby to baby, but it helps to think about what your baby sees every day, what he or she stops to stare at, and look for books that reflect those interests.  Most babies are attracted to board books that show pictures of dogs and cats or familiar objects like spoons and cups and clothing—especially shoes!  You’ve probably noticed that Babybug always includes everyday objects and activities among its selections.

From "New Shoes," art by Dawn Beacon, in the January 2011 Babybug.

Throughout babyhood, children are fascinated by faces. Very young babies will spend time looking at the outside edges of faces—perhaps it’s the contrast with the background.  As the weeks go by they work their way in toward a face’s features.  Be sure to offer your child lots of books with pictures with faces and clear pictures of eyes, noses, and mouths.

Above all, look for board books that you find attractive. Not only are you more likely to read them again and again, your baby will quickly pick up on your enjoyment and realize from the beginning that books are a source of pleasure—an idea that matters most of all.

from "Mother Mother I Feel Sick Send for the Doctor Quick Quick Quick"

For the first time ever on the Babybug blog, we’ve got our resident child-raising expert Sally Nurss answering your questions. Read our interview with Sally here. Have a baby question for Sally? Ask right in the comments, post to Ask Babybug, or email us at babybug@caruspub.com.

My 19 month old daughter has developed a fear of going to the doctor. She screams and cries so much when the doctor tries to examine her that she has thrown up. Are there any books or activities that might help us have a better doctor’s office experience?
-Amanda J., Rockville, MD

Your daughter’s fear is not unusual for toddlers. At 19 months, she not only has the ability to recall past events, she also has a growing awareness that she’s a very small person in a very big world.

Your daughter’s fear is real and understandable, and you are wise to look for activities and reading as a way to help. Adults reflect about experiences by going over them in their minds. Toddlers can’t do that yet. They think by playing. Here are some play activities to use before, during, and after a doctor’s appointment.

Before the visit:

• Put together a toy doctor’s kit that includes a stethoscope, reflex hammer, toy syringe, and similar equipment.
• Pretend to examine a doll or stuffed animal with the tools. Then step back a bit and let her take over the play. Join in now and then, or offer suggestions to keep her interested.
• Make it possible to act out what really happens. If, for example, your daughter dislikes taking her clothes off for an examination, be sure her doll or teddy bear has an easily removable shirt so she can add this to the routine.
• Keep the doctor’s kit on a low shelf where she can see and reach it so that she can play as often as she likes.

During the visit:

• Take a favorite doll or stuffed animal along.
• Ask your doctor to listen to the doll’s heart and look in the doll’s ears, etc., before checking your daughter.  It’s a respectful way of letting a child know what comes next, and most doctors are happy to do this.

After the visit:

• It’s as helpful to play with the doctor’s kit after an appointment as it is before. Playing afterward gives your daughter a way of thinking about what she’s just experienced.

There are additional ways of easing a visit to the doctor: Tell her about the appointment ahead of time, but not too far ahead. Schedule the visit when you know your child won’t be tired or hungry. Plan to do something afterwards that she enjoys so that she associates going to the doctor with something that is fun.

During the visit, be aware that your daughter will be watching your actions and expressions to determine how she should feel, so try to look confident and relaxed—even though you might not be feeling that way. Give her reassuring physical contact throughout the exam. When she becomes fearful or cries, accept those very real emotions by describing with sympathetic words what she might be feeling. Assure her it won’t last long.

There are many children’s books on this topic, and some of them also offer suggestions for parents.

• Fred Rogers’ First Experiences books are still readily available, have clear photographs, and are as relevant and reliable as ever. Be sure to find a copy of Going to the Doctor.
• My Friend the Doctor by Joanna Cole is both honest and reassuring. It includes a page of tips for parents.
• Going to the Doctor by Anne Civardi has simple vocabulary and illustrations suited for very young children.

If your child is a fan of Elmo, Dora, Corduroy, Maisy, or the Berenstain Bears, they also have books about going to the doctor.

Editor’s note: If you’re feeling silly, one of our favorite books about doctors is Mother Mother I Feel Sick Send for the Doctor Quick Quick Quick by Remy Charlip and Burton Supree. It’s a wonderfully absurd, vintage book from the sixties that was re-released in 2001 by Tricycle Press.

Backyard asparagus patch in spring.

You probably know Sally Nurss as the author of our monthly accompaniment to Babybug magazine, Reading Babybug, or as the intrepid answerer of parents’ questions for Ask Babybug. We were so excited about the chance to interview Sally and hear her thoughts on education, reading, and the hardy asparagus plant.

Keep an eye out–Sally will be answering reader questions right here on the Babybug Blog in a few weeks!

Babybug: Tell us a little bit about your history with Babybug Magazine (or Cricket Magazine Group).

Sally Nurss: I’ve been writing for the Cricket Magazine Group since 1998, when our first grandson was born. He, his three younger brothers and their cousin in Scotland, have all been avid Babybug readers. Our 18-month-old grandson is still a great fan while the older boys have enjoyed Ladybug, Muse, Click, and Dig.

Sally's grandsons.

What drew you to working with children? Was there a specific moment when you decided to make this your career?

When my oldest daughter was three years old, I enrolled her in a parent cooperative nursery school. The first time I saw the teacher working in that busy, cheerful classroom, I thought, “She’s got the best job in the whole world.” I still believe that, and even though I no longer teach in or direct an early childhood program, I’ve never regretted the decision to work with young children and their parents.

What’s your favorite part of working with children?

I truly savor the opportunity to experience the world anew with them—to notice the smell of the wet windowsill after a rain, to laugh at a funny-sounding word, or to seriously consider whether giraffes have eyebrows. Everything is new. Everything is of interest.

What do you think is the greatest need/issue/problem with education today?

I worry that teachers don’t have the freedom they once had to plan for, and respond to, their students’ individual needs and interests.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My husband and I plan to open a bookstore, Our Town Books, in late April or early May. Right now we’re immersed in getting it ready—doing everything from ordering books to painting walls to putting up shelves to figuring out how to offer e-books on our website. I love visits from my grandchildren, working in my backyard vegetable garden, and, of course, reading.

A visit from Sally's Scottish grandson.

Were you a big reader as a kid? What were your favorite books?

One of the most memorable gifts in my childhood was a membership in a mail order book club. When the books would arrive on summer afternoons, I would haul them up into the branches of a big oak tree and just gloat at how lucky I was: I not only had new books and time to read them, but a leafy, quiet place to do so.

Before that, as a very young child, I was fond of a certain repetitious picture book about a funny little man meeting a funny little woman and walking down a funny little road to a funny little house. My mother used to hide it behind the couch when she couldn’t bear reading it aloud yet again.

Once I learned to read, I discovered Hugh Lofting’s Dr. Dolittle books at the library. I especially liked the author’s illustrations. (Even today, when I see someone with a snub-nose and round face, I’ll think, “Why he looks just like Tommy Stubbins.”) I read and reread all of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series. This summer I hope to visit Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri where she wrote them.

If you were a flower, which one would you be?

I’m afraid I’d rather be an asparagus plant— I like its sturdiness, its tall and ferny look (which I don’t have), and its faithfulness in returning spring after spring.

You provide wonderful tips and tricks for parents every month on babybugmagkids.com. If you could leave our readers with one piece of advice, what would it be?

Take time to look until you really see.

We’ve got (expert) answers!

Coming soon on the Babybug blog: an interview with the wonderful Sally Nurss, Babybug contributor extraordinaire, who has agreed to answer your most pressing child-rearing questions. Worried about your child’s reluctance to read? Nervous about taking your baby out into the snow? Dying for indoor activities to calm down the little ones? Ask away in the comments!

Babybug:
What was your illustration process for this month’s BABYBUG cover and the poem “I Am Rose”? Where did you get your inspiration?

Kathy Couri:
I started by playing with lots of different ideas for the babies on the roses, as well as layout positions for the page in general. I thought I would use gauche this time with some watercolor pencil on top. My desk in my studio faces my garden, and one of the things I love to grow are roses! So for this piece, I picked a beautiful pale pink rose still in bloom and sat it on  my desk to inspire me. I turned the babies into fairies because the scale was right. Only baby fairies are small enough to nestle in a rose!

What was your path to becoming an artist?

I guess it was pretty straightforward. I always loved to draw and make things as a kid. I made my own dolls and even devised a little apartment for them in my closet, complete with furniture I made from cardboard boxes. I took every art class I could in high school and finally went to an art college before working for a large greeting card company in the midwest for a few years. Books were always my first love though, so I quit my job and started to freelance. Since then I’ve been able to work on my childhood dream of drawing pictures for children’s books and magazines.

Voodoo, Kathy's cat, hiding in her files!

What draws you to illustrating for children?

Children’s books are the greatest escape into pure imagination. The impossible becomes real in a book… it’s just too much fun.

What inspires you the most?

I love fairy tales, of course! They have been a first and lasting inspiration for me. I have many vintage books and toys. Fabric and flowers inspire me as well.

Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac have always been two of my very favorite illustrators, as well as Palmer Cox. It always inspires me to see their work. It’s beautiful, and a little scary sometimes, like every good fairy tale.

In your opinion, what’s the best way to get a child interested in art?

Make art with them. I was always asking my mom to make me paper dolls that I could design clothes for. I would watch her draw out the doll and make her curly flip hairdo, I loved it. Then I would draw a complete wardrobe for her!
She encouraged me by doing it with me when I was very small. Everything was fun, and there were no mistakes!

I think exposure to books, of course, is very important. It’s been said many times before, but truly, read to your kids. Books open doors to other worlds that only exist between its pages. The pictures are a great place to introduce children to the world of art. My parents and I would go to used book fairs and I’d get loaded up with vintage books like Mister Petersand’s Cats (and kittens). It was one in particular that I adored. The pictures by Louis Slobodkin are utterly charming. With minimal line, he expressed so
much in those illustrations. I still love reading it today.

Draw, finger paint, make things by hand. Have fun and play. Let life become a little whimsical. Making art with your child is the perfect place for imagination to run wild, and with imagination, anything is possible!

If you were a flower, which one would you be?

One of my very favorites is Lily of the Valley. It is a small nodding bell that smells like heaven. She is a fairy flower for sure, so I would have to say that one.

Kathy's rose garden.

And finally, what do you like to do besides art?

Well, I love to garden, and I’ve filled mine with lilacs, peony, roses, and lily of the valley, to name a few…I even like to grow moss on my patio and pots!
I collect vintage children’s books and elves, as well as vintage metal dogs, and I like to cook, so trying new recipes is really fun. I have a fabulous key lime cheesecake recipe that I’ve been a little obsessed with lately!
A cup of coffee, cheesecake and a book… oh boy, now that’s a perfect afternoon!

Simon’s grandma, a Click author, says, “Just so you know, his little face and big brown eyes are even cuter than his squeezable legs and hands!”

Aw! Do you have a photo of your Babybug that you’d like to share? Email to babybug@caruspub.com and we’ll post it on the blog!

(For more Reading Babybug photos, click here.)

How does your baby like our November/December issue?  Sally Nurss has some imaginative ideas for reading this month’s BABYBUG with your child.

Exciting news for our Chicago readers: Cricket Magazine Group is having its first-ever Holiday Fair! Bring your little Babybugs for an afternoon of read-alouds and sing-alongs. Older kids will love creating their own magazine, just in time for the holidays! For detailed info, click here. Saturday, December 11, 2-4PM.

Even if you’re not in Chicago, you’re probably experiencing the chilly weather! Cuddle up with baby and some of our recent favorite read-alouds:

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

Snow by Uri Shulevitz

Snow Comes to the Farm by Nathaniel Tripp