My kiddos are both in love with Ten Little Puppies by Marian Harris and illustrated by Jim Harris. The book has wiggly eyes that move as you move the book, which adds to the fun. My kids like the rhymes and the illustrations of puppies doing everything from jumping on the bed to riding on fire trucks. It is a cute read. I took this book to Evan’s preschool class (full of four and five year olds) when I was the mystery reader and it did not disappoint. It is also Madelyn’s go-to bedtime book right now and one of her favorite things to read to her stuffed animals.

My sister-in-law is a teacher and is always giving my kiddos awesome books. One of our latest favorites is Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows and illustrated by Kurt Cyrus.

The first time I read it to Madelyn, Evan was taking a bath and overheard the story. He hopped out of the bathtub and hurried into Madelyn’s room (dripping water on the hardwood floors) so he wouldn’t miss anything. He loves that it is a rhyming book. Madelyn loves it, too. She recently selected it as one of the books she wanted to read to Minnie.

The story and the illustrations keeps keep both of my kiddos engaged to the end and  Madelyn always asks for more and we read it again and again. The best part for me is that it is one of those books that I don’t mind reading over and over and over! I highly recommend it.

My little guy is in love with the Batman Phonics Fun box set of books. It is awesome! Each book outlines a different sound and highlights the words in the book that use that sound.

Plus, it combines easy-to-read words and superheroes. Yeah! That short ‘a’ sound is so much more fun when it is in the word Batman and don’t even get me started on the long ‘o’ in Joker. Evan gets so excited when he hears the featured vowel sound and he always shouts, “I heard it!” We have had to stop reading the books at bedtime because he gets so into it.

Evan is also learning to recognize words in the books. I love that he is learning to read simply from having fun with the books he likes. As both an avid reader and a writer, I want my kids to associate reading with something that’s enjoyable. That’s what its all about, isn’t it?

Both of my kids love Tails by Matthew Van Fleet. Evan has been a fan of the book since he turned one and now Madelyn is following in his footsteps. She loves the hands-on textures and gets so excited when she gets the book all to herself. That, of course, only happens when Evan is at school. 

They both love it so much that I’m thinking of buying a second copy!  

Last week, while our pizza dough was rising, my kiddos and I sprawled out in the living room with a stack of books and bowls of Cheerios. There’s a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr. Seuss took center stage. Any Dr. Seuss book is a favorite in our house, but this one has been especially popular lately. 

We had so much fun munching and reading while we waited for our next job in the kitchen.

I was tempted to sneak away to my computer to catch up on e-mail with the little bit of "downtime" we had, but I’m so glad I didn’t.

I’ve been trying to live in the moment with my little ones a little more. They truly are so much fun to be with. These pictures don’t do our little book fest justice, but let me tell you, we had a blast. So much so that I think I’m going to start trying to plan every meal so we have 20-30 minutes of book time before we sit down to eat. It is optimistic, but it would be great if I could find a way to make it happen. 

Another kiddie favorite…Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! This was one of the first books Evan could "read" all by himself. Madelyn loves it, too, and I think it is my favorite Sandra Boynton book. If you’re looking for a new addition to your bookshelf or a good kiddie gift, you can’t go wrong.  

Shhh….don’t tell Evan, but I let Madelyn read his copies of Pat the Puppy, Pat the Cat and Pat the Bunny books last week. These are some of Evan’s favorites, so I know he’d reach over and rescue them from Madelyn’s grip if he knew she liked them. And definitely don’t mention that the corner of one the books ended up in Madelyn’s mouth. It will be our secret.

These have been some of Evan’s favorites for years. He knows every word in each of them and heaven help me if I can only find Pat the Puppy when he is in the mood for Pat the Bunny. Tears. Tears I tell you. I try to make sure all of our Pat books are together on the shelf to reduce the risk of a pre-bedtime meltdown. Have any of you read the Pat the Pony or Tickle the Pig books in this series (if you can call it a series)? I’ve seen them on Amazon but I haven’t read them yet. They might be good additions to our collection. 

When I decided to start featuring my kids’ favorite books on Mondays, I scanned the bookshelves and looked for the books that are the most worn. Ratty corners and finger-smudged pages are sure signs that a book is well loved. All of our Eric Carle books have been read time and time again, but I think one of our favorites is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? It is the perfect book at the end of a long day. I can read it without thinking, my kiddos both love the colorful pictures and Evan likes that he knows what is coming up next. Is it a favorite in your house, too? 

Here is another favorite from my kiddos’ bookshelf: The Pout-Pout Fish. My sister-in-law gave it to Evan quite some time ago and it became our go-to, must-read bedtime story for about five months straight. The main little line, "I’m a pout pout fish with a pout pout face so I spread the dreary wearies all over the place," is so catchy and Evan loved that he could "read" it with us. The line definitely will get stuck in your head, but not in a way that will make you crazy. The story line is really sweet and in the end the fish realizes that he isn’t a pout pout fish, he is a kiss kiss fish and starts spreading cheery cheeries all over the place. After I read the last line, I kiss Evan all over his face and head and he breaks into giggles…or wipes of my kisses, depending on his mood! 

If I Could Keep You Little… by Marianne Richmond is one of my favorite new books sitting on our bookshelves. A friend showed me her copy just before Christmas and I knew I had to buy it for my kiddos. If I Could Keep You Little reminds me that while I often mourn how quickly my little ones are growing, each new stage brings new excitement. The back cover sums it up with, “If I could keep you little, I’d keep you close to me. But then I’d miss you growing into who you’re meant to be.”

I love that the book is for boys and girls. One of my favorite lines in it is, “If I could keep you little, I’d tell you stories every night. But then I’d miss you reading the words you’ve learned by sight.” I also love, “If I could keep you little, I’d fly you with my feet. But then I’d miss you seeing sky and clouds from your seat.”

The book makes me want to create my own scrapbook version of the theme, which is going on my someday list of projects to tackle.

Some of my lines and photos for my scrapbook…

If I could keep you little, I’d snuggle you all day.

But then I’d miss seeing how much you love to play.

 
If I could keep you little, I’d carry you everywhere.

 

But then I’d miss seeing you roll from here to there.

I sometimes have to remind myself that while I miss who my kids were, I love who they have become. They are meant to grow and change and take on lives of their own. I’m lucky to get to share in their journey and I am trying to make it as wonderful for them as it is for me.