Babysitting Dog, Singing Pig

How much influence do board books have over a child?

My husband and I were joking that Baby A might think it is OK to climb out of her crib if we read Good Dog, Carl (Alexandra Day) too often. Of course, to test that theory we'd have to leave her with a babysitting dog...

But what about the food she sees in books? (Too much junk food!)

My Little Word Book by Roger Priddy

Or the confusion over whether or not pigs sing? (Incidentally, we blame an episode of Little People where the farm animals get confused for Baby A's insistence that any animal says baaaa.)

Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton

 And does it seem OK to draw on walls instead of going to bed? 

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, photo via Savvy Auntie

Oh wait, that was in his imagination.

When will she get that Gossie chose to share instead of to be angry?

Gossie by Olivia Dunrea

Babies and toddlers work hard making connections and trying to piece together an understanding of the world. How important are the early cues they get from books for shaping their everyday concepts of the world? Are they gauging the reader's reaction more than anything? I don't have a definitive answer, so let's hear your ideas in the comments.