Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Partner to Give Families “Best Books for Babies” Bundles, Library Cards
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP)’s “Best Books for Babies,” the only library-curated book list of its kind in the nation, is celebrating its 26th year with a special book distribution event — including baby’s first library card — at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital during September’s Love Your Library Month.
Librarians and children’s literature experts from CLP will be on site in the hospital lobby to provide new and expectant families with bundles of books from the Best Books for Babies 2025 list. Each bundle includes titles selected by librarians, child development practitioners and pediatricians — along with early literacy tips, community resources and a library card ready for activation.
WHEN: Monday, September 15, 2025; 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
WHERE: UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Lobby – 300 Halket St., Pittsburgh
WHY: The celebration connects new families at Magee with CLP’s resources for early literacy and its commitment to lifelong learning:
- Best Books for Babies: Developed by CLP librarians and child development experts, the nationally recognized list is updated annually and helps parents and caregivers choose high-quality books for babies from birth to 18 months. Each book is evaluated against 25 criteria, included age-appropriate content, rhythm and rhyme, and authentic representation of diverse families. More information about Best Books for Babies, including an archive of previous selections, can be found at bestbooksforbabies.org.
- Community Impact: Families will receive carefully curated book bundles — each with eight titles from the 2025 list — along with resources and a library card ready to activate in their baby’s name. CLP and Magee expect to reach dozens of new and expectant families during the event, with additional books provided to extend the impact beyond the day’s activities.
- Advancing Early Literacy: This partnership is part of CLP’s “Literacy Takes Flight” initiative — the Library’s commitment to inspire confidence and curiosity in readers of all ages and to develop practical solutions that strengthen literacy rates across Pittsburgh.
- Celebrating Love Your Library Month: The countywide campaign is marking its 10th anniversary and has raised more than $11 million for Allegheny County libraries.
Best Books for Babies 2025 |
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¿Puedes Cavar Como Un Excavadora?/Can You Dig Like a Digger?
and ¿Puedes Hacer Chú Chú a Como Un Tren?/Can You Choo Choo Like a Train?
and ¿Puedes Ladrar Como Un Perro?/Can You Bark Like a Dog?
(Child’s Play International)
Illustrations by Abi Hall and Cocoretto
Simple questions and colorful pictures of vehicles and animals invite interactionbetween baby and reader. In Spanish and English.
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Black & White in Color (Greenwillow Books)
by Tana Hoban
Appealing photographs of babies and high-contrast graphics ensure that this sturdybook will grab baby’s attention during tummy time and beyond.
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Cinco Enormes Dinosaurios/Five Enormous Dinosaurs
and En La Estación/Down by the Station
and ¡Salta Un Poquito!/Hop a Little! (Child’s Play International)
by Annie Kubler and Sarah Dellow
Celebrate a dinosaur countdown, a busy morning, music, and movement.In Spanish and English, featuring babies with diverse abilities and identities.
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A Flock of Gulls, a Chorus of Frogs (Harbour Publishing)
by Roy Henry Vickers and Lucky Budd
Groups of familiar and unfamiliar animals of the West Coast appear on embossedpages. Vickers, an Indigenous artist, provides high-contrast beauty and subtletextures while expanding vocabulary.
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Hello, Face! (Barefoot Books)
by Aya Khalil
Laugh, sneeze, yawn, and listen along to this inclusive homage to facial features.
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Hello Hello Colors (Chronicle Kids)
by Brendan Wenzel
A parade of animals and insects offers the opportunity to expand vocabularywhile enjoying quirky, colorful illustrations. What starts as simple point-and-sayillustrations will be a book baby grows with.
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Little Chick (Candlewick Press)
by Petr Horáček
Peek-through pages encourage babies to grab on and explore while repetitivetext provides a rhythm for a little chick’s day on the farm.
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My First Book of Baby Signs (Callisto Publishing)
by Lane Rebelo, illustrations by Cait Brennan
Graphic illustrations, accompanied by instructions, feature babies and caregiversand show how to make each sign.
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Peekaboo Lion (Candlewick Press)
by Camilla Reid, illustrations by Ingela P. Arrhenius
Sturdy sliders reveal animals in bold colors and promote the fine motor skills thatemerge around the end of baby’s first year. A mirror at the end will bring a smileto baby’s face.
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Tummy Time: Farm
and Tummy Time: Savanna (Nosy Crow)
by Louise Lockhart
Fold-out pages share a “say hello” scene on one side, and up-close depictionsof animals on the other to delight babies during tummy time and beyond.
“Even in a baby’s earliest days, learning and reading can begin with the comfort of a caregiver’s voice and the joy of a first book. Best Books for Babies gives families the tools to create joyful, meaningful moments with their children right from the start. Partnering with UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital allows us to give families the support and resources to spark a lifelong love of reading together.”
- Erin Zambataro, Library Administrator, Children’s & Teen Services, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
In addition to the list, the Best Books for Babies Committee shared the following tips to help caregivers make the most of out of time spent reading together:
- Babies explore their world through touch and taste. Share sturdy books and books that offer different textures and sensations. Board books, in particular, are a good choice since babies are less likely to damage them in their explorations.
- Books with simple black against white pictures really appeal to babies and are easiest for babies ages birth to six months to see. Young babies also love patterns and photographs of people’s faces, especially other babies.
- Read, read, repeat! Be willing to read stories over and over again. But also give yourself permission to give some books a rest sometimes.
- Young children are wiggly! Do your best to share books when your child is relaxed but still alert. And don’t be afraid to put a book down and pivot to another activity. Reading throughout the day, rather than just once, helps to reinforce the idea that books are a part of everyday life.
- Tune in, talk more! Share new words every day. Point to pictures on the page as you describe them. Make connections to things you see and interact with in real life too.
- Children learn from everything they experience. Talk, sing, read, write and play, at least a little bit, every day. When you share these activities with young children, you’re helping them develop the early literacy skills (or reading readiness skills) children need to learn to read.
More information about Best Books for Babies, including an archive of previous selections, can be found online at bestbooksforbabies.org.
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
To Foster Literacy, Enable Exploration and Create Connections with Our Neighbors.
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh supports individual and collective achievement, access to knowledge, and a sense of joy and belonging. Through the community’s investment, the Library is enhancing the lives of people in the greater Pittsburgh region with dynamic and diverse resources such as creative learning programs for children and teens, job and career assistance for our community's workforce, and free computer and Internet access for all. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh builds community, enables learning, provides access and values people.
