Talk to your baby.

A recent article, Brain exercises for your baby, highlights how talking to babies helps them learn and develops their brain. Studies show that the vocabulary a child learns in the first three years of their life directly affects their future IQ. Babies best learn vocabulary inside face-to-face conversations, not from screen technology.

But, just as importantly, talk nurtures the bond between parent and child, making possible a secure attachment that is essential for their emotional growth and development.

Bernard Waber’s Ask Me celebrates the talk that happens between a parent and a child, showcasing a child’s relentless inquisitiveness and energy. Children naturally have a good amount of curiosity and this book celebrates intense curiosity. I think of curiosity as a muscle that encourages a child to learn, to venture out, and to take risks in their thinking--its a hallmark of a vital life.

At one point in the story, the father asks his daughter, “Why do you ask me questions you know the answer to?” Her response: “Because I like to hear you tell it.”

Waber wrote more than 30 books for children, including the classic Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile series. He died at 91 in 2013 and posthumously published Ask Me which has the hallmarks of his subtle humor and tremendous empathy.