When I was pregnant, I was given a huge shock of a baby shower at 5 months. I had no idea it was coming and was so surprised I almost fell out of the doorway backwards. It took a good 10 minutes to get my composure.
One of my favorite things that came out of that baby shower was that all my friends and relatives brought a favorite book for the new baby. Reading was my all time favorite pass time growing up and I love that before she was even born she was being encouraged to read. I appreciate this gesture even more now as we are reading those books every day.
This is a collection of her favorites that we have come to read over and over. And over.
This 'Feel and Learn' book was really the first 'book' that she paid any attention to. It has crinkly pages and is obviously delicious for the parts you can chew on.
The current favorite is 'Toes, Ears and Nose.' This is fun to read together because you turn the flaps to discover different parts of the body. We say 'knee" and then point to her own knee. At the end of the book, you lift the blanket and 'see all of me.' She gets very excited in anticipation and claps her hands when it's over. Then she starts from the beginning…
'Little Ladybug' is cool because not only is it a book but also a finger puppet! She loves to grab ladybug's head and laughs when I say 'ouch, ouch ouch!'
'We Belong Together' is a really sweet book that starts out with 'smitten little mittens' and ends with 'baby you're my perfect pear.' Single sentences on each page keep her attention for just long enough before we turn the page together.
'You are my sunshine' is super fun because you can sing the words and already know what's coming next. Singing really grabs her attention for at least the first 30 seconds… And really that's all the time you need to sing the first verse!
Ovbiously, with someone who moves so fast you can't get a picture that's not blurry, these books need to be short, interesting and to the point. That exactly describes 'Who's there' which was a previously (and now presently) loved gift. Movable pages that reveal animals and their noises just add to the experience.
This last book is more sentimental for me as it was given by my niece as her very favorite baby book. 'My goodnight book' is the perfect read to signal bedtime and the pictures are really classic.
Reading is a way of life in our home and has become a time we both really enjoy. I'm so glad we have these books to start our little girl on her journey.