Yesterday at the library, after I returned our books, I stopped briefly by the board books and found a few appropriate book for my eight-month-old. I gave him The Airplane Book as he sat in the stroller. He grabbed it and held on.

I found the book I was looking for in the fiction aisle and was turning to go when a grandmotherly lady stopped and looked at my son. I’m used to this at the library: grandmothers, kids, toddlers. Everyone loves a baby! She asked if he’s a boy or a girl. I told her he’s a boy and smiled at her.

“Humph. A book for him! He’s a bit too young, don’t you think?” she said in a low voice as she turned away.

I had already started pushing the stroller to the checkout when I realized what she had said.

Too young for a book?

I read my son Winnie-the-Pooh when he was 4 months old and I’ve read to him every day since. Granted, most days now he “talks” loudly over my voice or ignores me or tries to eat the book, but I still read to him every day.

Is there such a thing as too young for books?

I think not.