You might ask (particularly if you've never had children), "Why would you buy a book for a baby? The kid can't read."

Perhaps you're single, no kids, with some married friends who have just become parents. You'd like to give a baby gift, but a BOOK? Yes. A book is a priceless investment in the child's language development, in early education, and in laying a foundation for that matchless connection between Baby and Storyteller.

Even tiny infants, held in an adult's arms, enjoy hearing the sounds and looking at the pictures during an impromptu story time session. However, if you're shopping for just such books, there are some things to keep in mind.

• Look for large books with big pictures and minimal text. (Check out your local bookstore's children's section. You'll see plenty of examples.)

• Try a pop-up book, constructed so that as pages are turned, an illustration "pops up" to surprise the little one.

• Remember that as babies start "teething", they want to get their gums on everything in the world, including books. So the "board" books, constructed with pages that have a thickness to them, are suitable for resisting the "gummy" attacks.

• Some books have a musical component, which is another baby-pleaser. The story reader presses a button and a short melody plays. Baby will grow to love that, even if he/she can't sing any words.
• Children's books are not necessarily inexpensive. If you're on a pinched budget, try scouting books you want at the local bookstore and then go online to compare prices for the same books.
• Babies enjoy books about animals, about other babies, about colors and shapes (although they won't really pick up on the full importance of these until later), books with rhythmical phrases and "funny" sounds.