Book excerpt: Stage One: Omonths + Developed by a speech language pathologist and mom, Babble Books is a developmentally appropriate series of books that foster natural speech development. Babble Books mirror the natural progression of speech sounds as they emerge and promote the acquisition of phonemic awareness (the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words) through tried and tested techniques. Babble Books is divided into stages that specifically target the set of speech sounds that are developmentally appropriate for that stage. The Babble Book stages are defined by the age slightly before and during the critical period in which the speech sounds emerge so as to encourage auditory bombardment and verbal exploration prior to the expected age of mastery. Current research indicates that language rich environments are the key to the acquisition of speech and language skills. Parents and caregivers have the greatest impact on a child's speech and language development and, with the use of Babble Books, a solid foundation for effective communication, socialization, and future academic success can be established. Do not wait. Start babbling today and watch your child's speech flourish. The Babble Book series is the perfect gift for the holidays, baby showers, birthdays, and "anytime presents." A great tool for parents, grandparents, teachers, pediatricians, and speech therapists alike.