Young children are adept at learning new vocabulary words when they hear them in a meaningful context. They draw upon the happenings in a book (or conversations) and the illustrations to decipher the meaning of unfamiliar words. When reading aloud, be on the lookout for words we seldom use in conversation and ask questions to see if your child is developing an understanding. Researchers have found that children's literature has almost twice as many infrequently used words as found in adult conversation. Adding these words to their vocabulary is vital to later reading achievement.

The descriptive language used in Ha ha, baby! is a good example of the difference between our everyday conversation and the language of books. Laughing is referred to as 'cheeky chuckling', "chortling,' 'burbling and gurgling.' 'A face like thunder' is also referred to as 'scowled' and 'glared.'