In honor of Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss' Birthday, we are here talking about books!
We have been very fortunate to have a little boy who has LOVED reading from the start. Honestly he could sit with us and a pile of books all afternoon and probably be completely content. That being said, he definitely has some favorite books that he reaches for over and over. You know they are his favorite because his will "read" them with you. One he actually will "read" TO you now.
We read during the day, but my favorite time to read to him is bedtime. Each night he will sit or stand in front of one of his book shelves and just stare at the books saying "ummmmm" until he makes his decision. Lately, it has ended up being this ABC Menagerie book which is a long one with hard to pronounce names and a few made up animals that Nate and I really, really love (insert eye roll here). Then after we read him his one book at night we give him a book to read until he is ready to go to sleep (we do this at nap-time on the weekends too). This way it is his "decision" to go to bed and he can read as long as he wants as long as he stays in his bed. Honestly at night it doesn't take long for him to fall asleep, but at nap-time he will usually sit and bed reading for at least a half-hour until he decides to actually nap.
All that said, I figured I would do a quick round-up of some of Leighton's favorite books!
Giraffes Can't Dance
This one may be one of my favorites actually. It allows us to kind of hit on the topic of being nice to others and being your own person.
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Leighton partially reads this one with us. Mostly just the "Mama called the doctor and the doctor said..." parts, but still. He loves the book! There are other stories with the 5 Little Monkeys that I am going to look for for future presents since he does like them so much.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear. What Do You See?
It has been a while since I was the one reading this book to him. Leighton will hold this one up like he is a teacher reading to a class and recite the entire thing. Honestly, he probably could do it without looking. To say he loves this book would be an understatement.
Goodnight Moon
This was a personal favorite of mine from the start, and now he loves it too! He will find the mouse on each page, and knows some of the words now too. Our copy is missing the last page, but we know what it says..."Goodnight noises everywhere."
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Again, and early favorite of mine. Now we use it to practice counting too!
Corduroy Book
Leighton loves books about bears. A few of our books came with matching stuffed animals and this is one of them. It is so fun to read a book and hold the character in your hand.
123 Board Book & ABC Book
When we put Leighton to bed, 9 times out of 10 he will want to keep reading on his own. I am not a fan of leaving paper page books with him, so these are two of the ones I leave behind the most often. They also have textured pages (the animals/pictures are made from finger prints that are raised) so that adds an additional level of interest for him.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
My cousin loved this book when she was little and then gave him a copy for his second birthday. He loves it now too! It is another one we use to practice our ABCs and he loves saying "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!"
Ten Little Ladybugs
Leighton went through a tearing phase about 6 months ago. This book was one of the casualties of that phase and the back page is missing a few ladybugs. Again, it is a book he loves and we can use it for practicing counting. As you read it you will think it is sad, but I promise it isn't!
ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!
I love me some Dr. Seuss, we did a lot with Dr. Seuss in my sorority while I was in college (we were really big on literacy). That being said, we have ALOT of Dr. Seuss books. This is one of the many and Leighton thinks it is super fun with all the words and characters. It is also another one he is starting to "read" because we read it so often. Every now and then you will catch him saying something like "big I, little i. I, I, I" and it always makes me smile.
I Love You, Stinky Face
This was one of the books we got him for either Christmas or his birthday. I love it because it shows how a mom loves her son no matter what he is (a stinky face, a monster, etc). He loves it because of the different monsters/characters that are part of the story.
This year I really want to make a trip to the library, I think he would love it and it would give us a chance to cycle in some new books. Anyone have tips on successful library trips with little ones?
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