My Baby's Library

Now that I'm a mom, I'm constantly worried about how what I'm doing now will affect my little one in the future. His development, motor skills, communication skills, and likes and dislikes. 

Every evening, I make it a point to read to Sully. Sometimes one story, but if he's really focused, I'll read as many as three. He's only three months old, but he loves it! He looks at the pictures and responds to my voice, and sometimes he feels the need to "tell" me his own story. It's really one of the only times of the day in which he'll sit still (unless he's sleeping, of course).

I'm pretty excited that he loves it, because I want to raise a reader. I want him to learn to use his imagination and discover new worlds and enjoy getting lost in a good book as much as I do. 

I'm adding to his library a little at a time, and here's a list of wonderful children's books that I remember as a kid, and hope to add soon!

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Harry Potter (The entire series - he's a little young yet, but he'll get there!) by J.K. Rowling

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka

The Stinky Cheese Man & Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

What children's books do you remember growing up?

Cheers!!

My Kid's Future Library

I found out a couple of months ago that my husband and I are no longer going to be just two. We have a third little member of our family arriving towards the end of November, and while there are a lot of different emotions that are running high at this time, I'd say excitement tops the list.

***Side note: This is one of the major reasons I've been a little less active on the blog. Understandably so, I would think.***

Anyway. The generations of kids coming into this world get more and more technologically focused. iPhones, iPads, computers, video games, etc. And the list will grow and grow, I'm sure. My husband and I have talked about the things we want our kid to grow up with. On his side, it's camping, fishing, and outdoor adventures. We live in Maine, after all. That's very important to me too, but I also want my kid to, hopefully, appreciate the wonders of the written word and the possibilities of imagination.

If I have a baby shower, I 'd rather people bring a children's book and a pack of diapers than anything else. My kid is going to have a stellar little library and there will be an awesome reading nook involved. I want him/her to enjoy reading and learning and using his/her imagination. I honestly don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't reading, and I hope to instill that love for books in my child.

I haven't thought about children's books in quite a long time, and thinking back is really giving me a decent laugh and a certain sense of nostalgia. Jon Scieszka, in particular, was one of my favorites.

And who can omit Where the Wild Things Are as one of their favorite books as a kid?

Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends

And, as I got into first and second grade...

Ah, the memories. Of course, you can never go wrong with good, ole Dr. Seuss or classics such as The Hungry Caterpillar or Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. 

Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald, and... just remembered! The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone.

I also remember falling in love with the horror genre at an early age with R.L. Stein's Goosebumps, and  M.T. Coffin's Billy Baker's Dog Won't Stay Buried. 

Now that I think about it, I read a lot when I was little. I was always excited about the "book fairs" at school and I was constantly in and out of the library, anxiously waiting for the day I could get into the high school's library because their's was so much bigger. 

I really hope my kid has that same love for books. What was your favorite when you were a kid?

Happy Reading Everyone :)