Expert Advice: What's a good first book for a baby?

Host Amber Smith: Here's some expert advice from pediatrician Dr. Jaclyn Sisskind from Upstate Medical University.

What is your favorite book to be a baby's first book?

Jaclyn Sisskind, MD: I love "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." I know that sounds like it's such a classic. It is truly my favorite baby book to give. And if someone ends up with five copies, that's fine because they're going to go through five copies of it. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," in my mind, is one of the most perfect baby books ever written because you get so much out of it.

So for anyone who's listening and doesn't know, you should go right away to read this. "It opens up, there's a leaf with a little egg on it. A tiny caterpillar comes out, and he's very hungry, and it goes through the days of the week. So on the first day of the week, he eats through one apple, and then the next day he eats two pears, and then three plums and four oranges and so on and so on. The book is written with little punch holes that go through the vegetables or fruits that he's eating, so kids can stick their fingers in the holes. Then he gets so full, and he goes into a cocoon, which Eric Carle, the author, later said he should've made a chrysalis. And then it turns into a butterfly.

And in this book you get fine-motor planning because they can stick their fingers in the little holes of the book. You get colors, you get learning the days of the week, you get counting, you get some vocabulary words that kids aren't necessarily used to. So he eats through like salami and sausages and some things that are just not your typical baby foods.

And you get the life cycle of a caterpillar. All in one little book. I mean, I just think it's wonderful. So that's one of my favorite baby books to give, but there are so many new books that are coming out all the time that are wonderful that I like to give as well, but that's always my go-to.

Host Amber Smith: You've been listening to Dr. Jaclyn Sisskind from Upstate Medical University.