Tuesday's Top Ten [Favorite Night-Night Books]

In our household we have a slew of favorites, but here are a few we enjoy before bedtime: (I promise you'll enjoy them too!)

 A Hunting We Will Go by Steven Kellogg contains sprightly verses taking children on a bedtime adventure! A brushing we will go, a hugging we will go, a reading we will go...

 The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House by Eric Litwin, illustrated by Scott Magoon, is by far a family favorite. It's hilarious with it's nutty puns, song, and happy ending.

 If Animals Kissed Like We Kiss Goodnight by Ann Whitford Paul, illustrated by David Walker, is an adorable kissing comparison. My favorite? The sloths, who sloooooooowly kiss goodnight. And while all the animals give their goodnight kisses the sloths come up again and again, still kissing goodnight.

 Count Yourself to Sleep by Sue Buchanan & Lynn Hodges is a wonderful book reminding us to count our blessings before bed, giving credit to Whom credit is due: God Himself.

 Roar of a Snore by Marsha Diane Arnold, illustrated by Pierre Pratt, keeps the reader wondering, who is snoring that great big snore? Of course, you'll snore along as the characters go searching.

 Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman, tells a story of a snoring, hibernating bear who's friends join him in his lair, eventually waking him - oops!

 Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd, a classic my little Bean has enjoyed reading over and over and over again.

 Song of Night by Katie Riley Nakamura, illustrated by Linnea Riley, follows a variety of animals in their bedtime routine, each adding to the song of night.

 Kisses by Nanda Roep, illustrated by Marijke ten Cate, includes a father/daughter duo as she accepts many different types of kisses - witches kiss, butterfly kiss, circus kiss, etc. - from her daddy.

 Robot Rompus by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Ross Collins, offers comedic chaos when irresponsible parents leave robots to tend their child to bed, leaving quite the disaster.

5 Places On My Bucket List Thanks to Books

Books inspire me. They give new vocabulary. Formulate pictures. Make me cry or laugh. Discover places I want to see with my own eyes someday. Here's a few of those places...

1. Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Bethlehem, Israel, Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, Valley at Elah, Mt Carmel, and many, many other places I'm constantly reading about in the Bible. This list is short for here, because it could be endless. Seeing the Holy Land I read about daily would be a wonderful visual to help me understand Scriptures more fully. Plus, I want to plant my feet in places Jesus stood. What a faith building journey this would be!

   

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2. Prince Edward Island, Canada made the list thanks to L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. Most especially the "White Sands Hotel" which is actually called "Dalvay by the Sea". It's romantic reputation is so well known that Prince William and Kate stayed there as part of their honeymoon tour! It's gorgeous surroundings and history pull me in... 

   

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3. The Marvel's by Brian Selznick was inspired by one of the most famous tourist attractions in London called Dennis Severs House. The description of this house on the home page of it's website is so incredibly intriguing: "Dennis Severs' House at 18 Folgate Street, Spitalfields is more than just a time capsule. It's both a breathtaking and an intimate portrait of the lives of a family of Huguenot silk-weavers from 1724 to the dawn of the 20th Century. As you follow their fortunes through the generations, the sights, smells and sounds of the house take you into their lives. It was Dennis Severs' intention that as you enter his house it is as if you have passed through the surface of a painting, exploring with your senses and imagination a meticulously crafted 18th Century world." Every room tells a story (see The Plot). Every page in this book - with no words - tells an adventurous, mysterious story. Either you see it or you don't. And I want to see what inspired Brian Selznick: Dennis Severs House. 

   

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4. The Ravensbruck National Memorial, near Berlin, is high on my list thanks to Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place. Her experience in the largest concentration camp for women and how God used her there is a powerful, life-changing read (here's my review). I think it's a book everyone should get their hands on!  

   

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5. I taught Homer Hickam's October Sky, a non-fiction book, all about his life in Coalwood, WV during the days of Sputnik. His fascination with rockets inspired his involvement in the Space Race. The story behind the rockets these boys launched inspire readers to work hard and persevere. This is a book my kids always enjoyed. Teaching it year after year only added to my desire to visit Coalwood and see for myself the beautiful, historic places Homer Hickam talks about in his book (even his mother's beloved Myrtle Beach). I especially want to visit during their October Sky Festival where the community celebrates the Rocket Boys and all they accomplished (http://www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com). I think visiting these places would add so much to my teaching of this historic book. (Check out Homer Hickam's website to learn more about his adventure!) 

   

   Perhaps it's the teacher in me and the history nerd, but I love exploring old schools. Homer Hickam speaks fondly of the teachers who challenged him to academic excellence - if only these walls could tell the stories of those teachers! (Image Source)

The machine shop is the setting for many important events in the Rocket Boys story! (Image Source)

I encourage you, if you haven't already, to read these books and be inspired. I haven't actually set foot in these places just yet, but I've been there, many times.

When you give a baby a book...

When you give a baby a book...

... you just might hear words transform from a simple muffin to something silly like, "moose-a-muffin". Story: Bean loves the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff so muffins are no longer called a basic, boring muffin in our house.

... you just might see a handful of favorites pulled from the shelf multiple times throughout the day. It might be "read aloud" alone or you might hear the question, "Mommy, read it?" 

... you might just capture adorable moments such as this...

Reading with daddy.

Reading with a friend.

Reading on a blow-up-pool device.

Reading in a ball play pit with friends.

Reading wherever and leaving a trail.

Wearing whatever while reading.

Making memories.

Reading with a friend at their birthday party.

Reading at the library.

Reading at a friends house.

Reading in a coffee shop.

... you might just find that with little or no effort your child begins to recognize shapes, colors, letters and words...

... you might also find that children's books are FUN reads and enjoy that time with your child so much that it's one of the best parts of your day...

... you have the perfect Christmas and birthday presents year after year after year...

... you might just become BFF's with the librarian who discards a book that's falling apart to give to Bean because she knows she loves it...

... you might just share a few favorites with your little reader like The Monkey Goes Bananas by C.P. Bloom or Wiggle by Doreen Cronin (Author) and Scott Menchin (Illustrator)...

Books have always been a major part of my life and it was my intention from the beginning of motherhood to make it a big part of my daughters' life as well. Perhaps that's why I chose to be a reading teacher early on in life? (wink, wink) If you're interested in seeing all that we do on a daily basis, read the post, How I Got My 18 Month Old Interested in Books and be sure to check out my Reading and Writing page as well. Also check out my teaching blog, RafiKey's to Success that's full of more tips for secondary English/language arts teachers.

I have no doubt that by simply reading, reading, reading and reading I'll see the same success with all my children, not just my Briella Bean. I think that by giving your baby a book, you might just see and hear and enjoy all books have to offer as well...

Tuesday's Top Ten [10 Wonderful Children's Books for Counting to 10]

One of the best ways to help a toddler learn to count is with books! These are a few of our favorites!

1-3. Over in the Garden or Over in the Meadow or Way Up in the Arctic (or any one of these particular books written to the same tune, rhyme and give wonderful information about the world we live in!)

 

 

4. How Many Kisses do you want Little One? by Varsha Bajaj and illustrated by Ivan Bates is a wonderfully cute counting book all about night-night kisses.

5. My Remarkably Sparkably Purse by Hayley Down is one of my daughters favorites because it's a little girl filling her purse with all the things Brielle loves (like tiara's and shoes and necklaces).

6. Turtle Splash: Countdown at the Pond by Katherine Falwell is one I like because (like it states) it counts down from 10, changing it up a bit.

7. Ten Apples Up On Top 'cause you can't go wrong with Dr. Seuss!

8. Five Little Ducks - a classic illustrated by Penny Ives - is one that I recommend. I realize it only goes to 5, but it's still worth reading!

9. How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? is another great one. I love any of Jane Yolen's "How Do Dinosaurs...?" books. They are pretty fantastic.

10. The M&M's Counting Book because who doesn't love counting with chocolate candy?!

If you're interested in finding others, here's a longer list with a few books I can't wait to check out myself!

A bonus:
 I've Got an Elephant by Anne Ginkel, illustrated by Janie Bynum, is a cute counting book where the character adds an elephant every time she does something - all because they get lonely. What does she do when she hits 10? Perfect book for counting, predicting, and laughing.

4 Books Every Expectant Mommy Needs on Her Shelf

I'm trying to get back on track with my Mommy Monday's and this is a great place to start. I love books and I love sharing what I've read. Plus these helped me tremendously and each in different ways.

1. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - I highly recommend this book for many reasons, but the most important reason: you'll have a deeper understanding of your body and what it's meant to do on the day your baby enters this world. You'll be able to make informed decisions on your labor and delivery - before, during, and after.

2. The Complete Book of Breastfeeding - I am so so so so so so thankful a friend gave me this book as well. It's absolutely amazing all the things I didn't know about feeding my baby! My lactation consultant with Bean was absolutely amazed at all I knew and I was able to confidently breastfeed Brielle for 12 months. The lactation consultant I had with Ele suggested I start a breastfeeding support group in my town. I credit it to this book and all that I learned by reading it.

3. Your Pregnancy Week by Week - This is a fun book that details all the progress your baby makes as he/she grows inside you. Plus the authors detail what your body may be experiencing as well. I liked this book just as much as What To Expect When You're Expecting, if not more.

4. On Becoming Baby Wise - If you're like me you'll go home from the hospital asking, "Uh... what now?" This book answers those questions! It helps you get your baby into a schedule. If Brielle was crying I knew why. Oh, it's such and such time - you're hungry. I was never left guessing her needs because those needs were being met at specific times allowing me to understand why my baby was crying so I could best help her. I am one of those people who desperately needs that kind of structure.