Hellobee

Books books books – I cannot tell you enough about my love for books.  Downtime to me is curling up at the end of the night with a good book, and falling asleep mid-read.  My nickname growing up was “bookworm.” I was one of those kids that would walk and read at the same time, stay up late with a flashlight under my bed just to read (probably to the detriment of my eyes), and would organize my personal library by author, last name first – just like how they do it at the library.  Do I dare mention how I even meticulously and lovingly wrapped every single one of my books with paper grocery bags or calendar pages?  Yes, even my paperback books!

I love the smell of a fresh, brand new book.  I used to spend hours at the bookstore, and I am obsessed with Goodreads.  Whereas others would spend their allowance on clothing and entertainment, I would spend it on books.  So it should come as no surprise that one of my greatest hopes is that my children develop the same passion I have for books.

Whenever a child’s birthday rolls around, I always try to include at least one book as part of their gift.  I don’t think you can ever have too many books.  With a 3 year old and a 1 year old, we’ve amassed quite a collection of children’s books, so I thought I’d pick 5 of our favorites from each year up until the age of three!

1 | Dear Zoo   2 | Peek-a Who?   3 | Where is Baby’s Belly Button?  4 | Moo Baa La La La   5 | The Very Hungry Caterpillar

1. Dear Zoo – Jaren loves this book, and it is his favorite.  Noelle loves it too at 3 years old!  Of all the books we own, I read this one with both of them the most.  I have one of them seated on each lap, and have taught them to take turns lifting the flaps while I read through the book.  It is well made and sturdy too, so the flaps aren’t as easy to peel off as some other lift-the-flap books I’ve come across.

2. Peek-a Who? – Such a cute, simple rhyming book with little cut-out windows on certain pages, making it an entertaining and interactive book for young kids.  Peek-a… MOO?  Peek-a BOO?… Peek-a… and so on!  There’s a cute little surprise at the end too that your child will find amusing!

3. Where is Baby’s Belly Button? – Another favorite with both kids, and a great way to teach them about body parts.  We loved it so much that we ended up getting another copy after Noelle tore all the flaps off all the pages when she was an infant!  The flaps are not the most sturdy, so after buying our second copy I taped down the flaps with packing tape.

4.  Moo Baa La La La – This was Noelle’s favorite book as an infant, and my favorite Sandra Boynton book, but it is less of  a hit with Jaren… maybe because it’s not as interactive as his beloved lift-the-flap books.  I love this book though – it is easy to read with a nice rhythmic flow, and it’s a lot of fun if you let yourself loose and really get into making all those funny animal sounds!

5.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Beautiful illustrations, and a childhood favorite of mine!  It’s fun reading about how the caterpillar eats his way through various foods to become a butterfly.  Both kids loved poking their finger into each of the holes found in the middle of the book.  It’s also a great book to help introduce counting and numbers to them.

1 | Goodnight Moon  2 | Good Night, Gorilla  3 |  There’s a Wocket in my Pocket!  4 | Calm-Down Time  5 |  We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

1. Goodnight Moon – This is my absolute favorite board book.  I love reading it, I love the way the words flow, and the illustrations are lovely.  I like all the details in every page.  I got this when Noelle was an infant, but she wasn’t too interested in it until she was two.  As her verbal skills increased, she would point to specific details in each page as I read – “Where are the mittens?  Where’s the mush?  Where are the kittens?”  I consider this a precious, timeless children’s classic.

2. Good Night, Gorilla – Honestly, at first I didn’t get the hype about this book.  It’s a lot of pictures with very little words, but that just gives you more room to create your own descriptions as you go through the book. Similar to Goodnight Moon, Noelle loved pointing out the details – like how you’ll notice a tiny red balloon on every page… and she always wanted me to flip to the page where the eyes are.  A beautifully illustrated, simple book.

3. There’s a Wocket in my Pocket! – This is one of the few Dr. Seuss books I don’t mind reading.  There’s a lot of rhyming, and made up characters, but it is fun to read.  Noelle went through a phase where she took this book to bed with her because she loved it so much.

4. Calm-Down Time – I got this book when Noelle started exhibiting typical toddler behavior (i.e. tantrums).  When we first introduced time outs to her we didn’t call them time outs, but I would say, “Let’s go calm down,” so when I came across a book actually titled Calm Down Tim,e I knew I had to get it.  It really helped her understand that it’s okay to be upset and feel like you want to “scream and shout and get your feelings out,” but to have a healthy outlet for it.  She had me read this book to her all the time!

5. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – If Goodnight Moon is my favorite board book, I’m going to say that this is my second favorite board book.  I listed this for 2 year olds, but at 3 years old Noelle is still enjoying it!  The story is about a family going through mud, grass, snow, etc. to hunt down a bear.  It’s fashioned after a song, so there is a nice rhythm and repetition to it.  We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, We’re going to Catch the Big One!  We’re not scared!  Great illustrations, funny storyline, and an exciting ending makes this a huge hit in our home!

1 |  Llama Llama Red Pajama  2 | Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site  3 | Tap the Magic Tree  4 |  The Day the Crayons Quit  5 | Giraffes Can’t Dance

For the 3 year old crowd, I’ve veered away from board books, and selected books that are the thin, big, hardcover variety with book flaps.

1. Llama Llama Red Pajama – You can’t go wrong with any of the Llama Llama books, but this is a great one to start with!  I love this book because it is sooo relateable!  When I read it to Noelle, she has so much compassion for Little Llama.  She goes, “Oh no!  Llama llama is so sad!  Where’s his mama??” or, “Poor llama, he’s scared!!”  An adorable, charming, and beautifully illustrated book that both moms and kids will fall in love with.

2.  Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site – Noelle has been really into cars, trucks, and trains so she easily got into this book.  It’s a great bedtime book because it talks about all the different types of trucks – bulldozer, crane, cement mixer, dump truck, etc. (each with its own expressive faces) – and how they’ve finished a long day of work and is now ready to rest and go to sleep.   The sweet illustrations and gentle rhymes perfectly capture the mood of “winding down after a long, hard day of work.”

3.  Tap the Magic Tree – Such a fun, simple, imaginative book!  With each turn of the page, something new happens to the tree.  You tap it and leaves grow, tap it again, and flowers bloom… this tree changes with the seasons and asks you to tap, shake, and jiggle it making it interactive and fun for all!

4.  The Day the Crayons Quit – This is a charming book that uses crayons and colors to help kids identify their feelings – the cast of characters include an exhausted blue, an overworked gray, and an embarrassed peach.  Such a delight of a book, with gorgeous illustrations.

5. Giraffes Can’t Dance –  This book is about a giraffe named Gerald who wants to dance, but is clumsy with crooked knees and thin legs.  He ends up feeling defeated by the other animals who can dance until an unlikely source tells him that “sometimes when you’re different, you just need a different song.”  This book introduces children to a hard lesson that they will eventually need to learn.  We all dance to our own beat in one way or another.  Great message, vibrant illustrations, and wonderful rhyming.  A delight to read!

What have been some of your family favorites?