Unfortunately, marketers have leapt on this as an opportunity for creating brand loyalists; Cheerios and M&M's titles fill an absurdly large space on bookstore shelves, taking place in close company with the many television and movie tie-ins. And for whatever reason, publishing houses in general have not yet made a significant commitment to producing quality board books... and so the dream come true can rapidly lead to frustration when a parent finds that, of all the books that can stand up to little hands, few are worth the paper they are printed on.

Even fewer board books fit within an ecospiritual or ecological perspective. Below are listed some of those that parents and librarians can use as springboards to discuss the earth; while two of the books are simply alphabet/number books about the natural world, a few others do have a clear environmental theme. Hopefully, as parents become used to the idea of books that are safe for (from!) toddlers and babies, they will also begin to demand more quality content and diversity of subject matter.

Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger -- Berger's story reveals the magic of nature, the inner luminescence of everything that surrounds us. It is also a miniature pourquoi story, and as such, works as an introduction to that rich tradition for explaining and remembering the characteristics of the world. Her illustrations are marvelous; I have seen children who can't read and who haven't yet heard the story cling to this book as if it were the one, drawn instantly into the dreamy world of Berger's art. I am a little rabbit., I am a little deer., etc. by Francois Crozat -- Crozat's books vary in quality and in sensibility; each takes the perspective of a baby creature, with more or less success textually. The art is what make this series worthwhile; being both attractive and relatively complex, Crozat's illustrations invite children to examine the details of the different habitats portrayed. I Love You Sun, I Love You Moon text by Karen Pandell, illustrated by Tomie DePaola -- Pandell's book is a simple, charming prayer to the earth, with each child speaking to the subjects of their love: the sun, a rock, a bug, stars, the water. A first ecospiritual reader! Billy Bunny's 123 and Bobby Bear's ABC by Maurice Pledger -- My own daughter learned the names and faces of many animals from this ABC and 123, and is thrilled with recognition when she encounters the live creatures whose pictures she first met between these books' pages. Billy Bunny also emphasizes the eyes and experience of the bunny, encouraging children to look through a lens different than their own. Baby Beluga song/words by Raffi, illustrated by Ashley Wolff -- I have some hesitations about this book - Raffi's song has obvious faults (e.g. asking the baby whale if the water is warm, which is rather unlikely in the Arctic, and inferring that the beluga will sleep in the night) - but the illustrations do provide a nice starting point for adults to talk about the Arctic habitat and animals, or about the differences and similarities between life in the water and on the land. I Love You, Little One by Nancy Tafuri -- "I love you as much" books are very popular right now; parents and children alike seem to enjoy the cuddling and the comparisons. Unfortunately, several of the animal based versions are riddled with errors (e.g. bees forming singular parent-child bonds, etc.); I like Tafuri's book because her animal relationships actually make sense, as each parent (duck, mouse, owl, etc.) compares their love for their child to the snugness of the earth, the protection of the swaying rye, the shelter of the mountain.