There is a lot more to reading baby and toddler books than you might think.

Depending on your child's attention span, you can choose to read all the words or only some. Conversely, maybe your baby or toddler is interested in more than the simple text. In either case, reading a baby or toddler book requires a little imagination to get your child to really look at the book and begin to experience the joys reading can bring.

The typical baby or toddler book is short on text, but just because the page might only have one word or one sentence, there is a whole array of things you can teach your child with every page you turn.

Take colors, for example. Ask your child where he or she might see something red on the page, or blue, or yellow. If your child can speak, ask him what color the different objects are.

You can also do object identification and count objects. If your child can't speak yet, ask him or her to show you where the kitten is or where the flowers are. If your child can speak, ask her to identify specific objects or count them, such as "how many?" of any item on the page.

Another idea is to ask your child what he thinks the animal or child (whatever character is in your book) is thinking or might do next.

Whatever avenue you choose, be creative and use enthusiasm when you read to your child. No one likes a dull storyteller. And use your imagination when you're reading books to your child. Before you know it, you'll be coming up with all sorts of creative ways to gets miles more out of those baby and toddler books than you ever thought possible.

The following book is available at many public libraries.<B>"Guess How Much I Love You"</B> by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram, Candlewick Press, 32 pages; read aloud: birth to age 4; read yourself: age 7 and older.Can the love between a child and parent be measured? Little Nutbrown Hare tries to do just that when he compares his love for his father to as many things as he can think of. He loves his father as much as his arms can stretch wide, as high as he can reach, as far away as the river. Each comparison Little Nutbrown Hare makes is countered with a comparison of even greater measure by his father, who also wants his son to know just how much he loves him.A beautiful, warm and tender story that is certain to make readers feel good all over, this selection successfully demonstrates that so great is the love between a parent and a child, it is truly immeasurable.

<B>Library:</B> Butler Public Library, 218 N. McKean St., Butler<B>Library Director:</B> Lori Campbell<B>Youth Services Librarian:</B> Cora Ferraro<B>Choices this week:</B> "I Love You All Day Long" by Francesca Rusackas; "Wiggle" by Doreen Cronin; "Tremendous Tractors" by Tony Mitton

The following books are available at favorite bookstores.<B>"Shake It Up, Baby!"</B> written and illustrated by Karen Katz, Little Simon, 2009, 12 pages, $7.99 board book; read aloud: birth to age 2; read yourself: age 6 to 7."Touch your nose, rub your tummy. Shake your rattle ... isn't that funny?" Each double-page spread encourages your little reader to shake the rattle, and the cool news is that you don't have to look for a rattle — there's a rattle already built into the spine of the book!Interactive and loads of fun, this little gem is perfect for the tiny reader in your life.<B>"Fifteen Animals!"</B> written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton, Workman, 2008, 24 pages, $6.95 hardcover; read aloud: age birth to age 2; read yourself: age 6 to 7.The first human to ever appear in Sandra Boynton's books — a little boy! And this little boy likes animals a lot. In fact, he's got 15 animals, and he's given each one a special name. His cat is named Bob, his dog is named Bob, his two fish are named Bob and Bob. As you might guess, they are ALL named Bob, except for his little turtle (and if you want to know the name of pet number 15, you'll have to read the book!).Lively language, wonderfully funny characters and a counting book make this little gem irresistible. What's more, you can download a free song!Go Sandra Boynton! Kids will love this and all of her books!

"Fifteen Animals," written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton, uses lively language and funny characters to make teaching young readers how to count fun. The book also includes a free song download.