We kinda have a thing for books in our house…lol! A few months back, Patrick made my dream of a “Book Border” a reality in the kids playroom…
It turned out great! But we still had a huge overflow of great books that I wanted showcased somehow. After months of searching, I finally found the perfect storage solution for all of our books…welcome to our home sweet revolving bookcase!
This baby is equipped with 42 shelves! 24 of those shelves however are kinda small, but perfect for displaying your favorite board books! Thank you Pottery Barn Teen for creating such a cool piece of furniture!
Many may wonder how we got so many books…I admittedly love to buy books (and can’t help but buy at least a few each visit to Sam’s Club…seriously, best books at the best prices!) but most of these were gifts 🙂 At my Baby Shower, my mom had requested that guests sign their favorite book for us to enjoy for years to come instead of a once read card. My Book Club also showered both Beau and Greta with a book shower after their arrivals! I have a really great memory when it comes to gifts and I remember who most all of the books came from and I think of that person each time we read that book! The last source of our books is Dolly Parton. Yep, THE Dolly Parton! No, we aren’t friends, although I love her and would love to be! This amazing woman funds a literacy program called Imagination Library. Each child enrolled in it is mailed a new book each month from birth through kindergarten! I wish I could somehow let her know the joy she spreads to my kids alone! Some of our most favorite books have come from the Imagination Library!
Since I had the opportunity to go through all of our books, I thought I’d do a fun blog post highlighting some of our absolute favorite books to read! 🙂
My No, No, No Day
This is probably both Beau and I’s favorite at the moment! It is like the toddler version of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (which is also a favorite in our house since finding it discounted at a book store in Boston!) This was the Dolly book from August and it couldn’t have come at a better time! I was struggling real bad with Beau’s behavior as he adjusted to his Daddy’s new school schedule and this book seriously helped me though. I love this book because it shows kids how silly they look while throwing tantrums…I mean it covers it all…laying on the ground in public, taking off and throwing shoes, resisting bedtime through yawns…it is a book I think both Beau and I can relate to! He laughs at Bella’s silly antics through her bad day, and I am reminded that I am not alone in what can often feel like the island of toddlerhood. Each time we read this I am reminded that other mothers are going through the same things with their kids and also what Beau is going through too. I believe Beau is reminded that there are better ways to deal with his frustrations than throwing his shoes at me from this book. It’s also a great way to teach the meaning of two important words…”I’m Sorry”. A must for all toddlers and parents of toddlers!
Just One More
Oh how we love this sweet story which is also from Dolly! Ruby, who I believe Beau has a little crush on, haha, is always asking for “Just One More”. This book teaches kids the important lesson that sometimes just one is enough. Beau laughs and laughs as we read this book as he yells out “One more! One more!” which melts me like the ice cream on the front of the book every time 🙂 Fun fact, the author is also the illustrator!
The Mine-O-Saur
Another Dolly book! I’m telling you, she has been on point with her toddler books for relatability! This story introduces a new breed of dinosaur called the Mine-O-Saur, and also the importance of sharing with your friends. Such a necessary message to get out there but is done in such a cute way 🙂 So glad this book is “Mine! Mine! Mine!” I mean…Ours! Ours! Ours 😉
Where Is Curious George?
I got this book on Amazon when planning Beau’s Curious George themed 2nd Birthday Party. This book has been a life saver at many restaurants and on many long car rides! It’s a great interactive book that encourages kids to find George and a list of other items. Think Where’s Waldo for a toddler! Love this book even more than I love all of our other George stories…which is saying A LOT! He’s always been our favorite!
The Little Engine That Could
A classic. Beau loves, and I mean loves, trains! So he loves, and I mean loves, this story! It’s such a sweet, encouraging tale, but let’s keep it real…it’s a long one! When Beau asks for “More Choo Choo” I can’t help but suggest another shorter story – haha! But I do love this book as much as he does! Dolly gives this book to each child as their first book, but we initially were gifted it at my Baby Shower from my cousin Bridget.
Little Blue Truck
This book. Each time I read it I think it gets a little more perfect! Beau’s Grams and Gramps gave it to him for his 1st Birthday, and we’ve been enjoying it every day since (usually multiple times a day!) What an awesome story that not only teaches kids their animals and the sounds they make, but also the importance of helping others in need!
The Boss Baby
This story just makes me laugh! It’s more of a story for the parents, but kids like it too so it’s a win-win! I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t read it, but lets just say the parents who came up with this book had more brain power than me because this book is just witty truth! The illustrations make it as well 🙂 This is usually the book I’ll buy for first time parents.
If I Could Keep You Little
Okay, I lied, I usually buy this book for first time parents too! Warning: Tearjerker! My sister’s BFF, JFTB (Jenny From The Block – lol) sent this after I had Beau and I bawled like a baby while holding my days old baby. I think I’ve cried every other time I’ve read it too, yep, sounds about right.
God Gave Us You
This book is always the first book I read to my kids after they are born 🙂 Followed by On The Night You Were Born, because, yeah, it’s the night they are born! This book though is just a beautiful and heartwarming Christian book that answers all of the curious baby bears questions. There is an entire God Gave Us series and you can bet we have each and every one! I feel like even I learned answers I didn’t know in the God Gave Us Easter book 🙂
We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
My friend Katrina gave this book to us for Beau’s 1st Birthday and it’s been a favorite ever since! Although it’s an older book, I’d not ever read it till we were gifted it, and I tell you, it’s a guaranteed giggle every time!
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
This was a favorite of mine as a child, and I love that it is also a favorite of my sons! We share lots of laughs as we slam the bed yelling “Boom! Boom!” Beau will be two and a half on the 24th and he tries to sing along with the alphabet song, so this book has definitely come in handy for me helping to fine tune those letters with him!
Beau’s Amazing Alphabet Adventure
This book…I.LOVE.IT. It’s one of my favorite gifts to buy for children’s Birthdays! I order them through Shutterfly, and it is completely customized to the child with their name and photo all throughout the book! Each page features a letter of the alphabet and showcases the child doing activities that begin with that letter. Although it’s meant for learning the alphabet and what words begin with different letters, I’ve used this book to teach Beau his name! We play “Where’s Beau” and he finds himself on each page and yells out “There’s Beau!” Here are a few of the pages to let you see how great of a job Shutterfly does with this book! In E, Beau is riding an elephant who is wearing a earring while holding an eggplant that some hungry egrets have their eye on 😉 In I, Beau ice skating while holding an ice cream cone (skills!) and racing against some insects.
Jesus Calling
Reading the Bible is tough. It’s long, the language is hard to understand, and it can be extremely easy to just give up on it. I know, because I’ve done it, more times than I’d like to admit. If you are struggling to read the Bible, as I have in the past, I suggest simplifying it and starting off with a Children’s Bible. I would have never thought of this before I had kids! But I want my kids to know Jesus, so I read to them about Jesus, and of all the Children’s Bibles we’ve read, this Bible Storybook is my favorite because it’s made me understand the Bible better! It goes through the Old Testament and the New Testament and I feel it leaves out very little while remaining easy to understand. The illustrations are wonderful, Beau enjoys them. I personally love that after each story is a Bible verse and devotional written from God’s point of view teaching a lesson or giving an instruction to help guide the reader through life 🙂
Barnyard Dance
Sandra Boynton sure knows how to write a fun kids book! I realized while putting the books away that we have quite a few of her books and they are all silly fun stories that we all enjoy! My favorite of our bunch is Barnyard Dance. When reading this to Beau, Patrick makes up moves and we all get a good laugh 🙂
Where’s Spot
Rounding out our list of favorites is “Where’s Spot”. Beau is very into lift-the-flap books at the moment, and this is a fun one to work on animal names and sounds! Though I have to admit…there are some scary animals hiding around their house! Hope they don’t find ours! Haha.
Okay I lied…ONE MORE! I had to add in Greta’s favorite 🙂
All Of Baby, Nose To Toes
My baby girl got this book from Dolly and it’s her favorite at the moment 🙂 No, she didn’t tell me, but I can tell by the way she laughs each time we read it! It’s a good book to start introducing body parts to babies. Body parts were one of the first things Beau learned, so we are working on those with Greta from an even younger age.
Parents, please read, read, read to your children! It is so important for bonding with them and helping them to recognize words and speak them. I’ve been reading to Beau and Greta since they were in my womb, and I swear my kids came out loving books! If you know Beau, you know he is wild, one of the only things that can get him to be still is looking at a book or hearing a story from me. I love that he loves books! I’ll end with this tidbit, all things can be taken away from us at any moment, but the knowledge we attain from books can never be taken from us, it is with us forever! Happy Reading y’all!
PS – Feel free to comment some of your favorite books so that we can try them out!
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