31 Days, Children's Books

Surrounding Children With Books On A Budget

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I’ve spent sixteen days now telling you about what I consider to be marvelous picture books for children. Today, I was hit with remorse for not stating earlier in this 31 Days of Picture Book Series that I am by no means encouraging anyone to spend a fortune on creating a masterful library for your little ones. And if there is an area I am tempted to spend frivolously, it’s books for children. I would never, ever advocate spending frivolously on anything (except for maybe good charities). But that’s the great thing about books — you can incorporate wonderful books into your life and the lives of children without spending a fortune. Here’s how we spend next to nothing and still live surrounded by books in our home.

1. Ask your parents for the books they kept from your childhood. My husband and I are the oldest children in our book-lovin’ families. We didn’t even have to ask for the books that had our names in it–they started coming back to us way before we had children. However, I think a lot of parents keep their kids’ favorite books, but may not think of pulling them out of the attic to pass on. Even if you don’t already have children, ask your parents if they’ve kept any of the books you love when you were a kid.

2. Hit up used book sales. Your local library sales are the best place for this. We’ve found great hardback classics and board books like The Little Engine That Could and The Big Red Barn and never pay more than $3. Almost all our books are from library sales or free tables.

3. Speaking of the library…(brace yourself for a soapbox)… I shouldn’t even have to mention the library, but I’m always surprised at how many people I talk to who love reading yet never set foot in their local libraries. If you like books at all, you must get a library card and go to the library. Just do it. A library is not poor man’s Barnes and Noble — it is a goldmine. It offers wealth without requiring your wealth. It offers access to tons of books without requiring your shelf space. It does not tempt you with salted caramel mochas. I don’t know what else I can say to convince you, but if you’re afraid of the library or afraid of taking your kids to the library, read this post. If you’re still unsure, at least go in once and get a card and password so you can use the online resources for your e-reader. Please. I’m begging you, and I don’t even know why. Let’s just say I’m begging you for your own sake.

4. Let loved ones know books are your favorite gifts. I have an awesome great aunt who has always given me the best books. Let those people who give you books know you really appreciate them, and let others who ask what you like know, “hey, I love this kind of book!” Sure, sometimes you’ll get a book you don’t actually enjoy, but that’s gift giving. And from me to you, I don’t mind if anyone who ever gets a book from me takes it right to 2nd&Charles or e-bay to trade it in for something they want. Be my guest. And I may be yours, whether you invite me to do so or not. ; )

5. Amazon filler items. You know those times when you order something on Amazon but you don’t quite hit the $25 threshold for free shipping? Yes, you guessed it…add a book you’ve been wanting! It’s like a free book, or free shipping. You’re getting something for free, so why not? (Yes, this is a bit of book-lover rationalization, but I still think it’s one of the best ideas I’ve ever had). When my husband orders something and needs a few more dollars to get free shipping, he often asks me if I have a book on my to-buy list. Reason 4,287 I married that guy.

6. Be selective and buy the ones you really love. It’s easy to think you need to maintain a book collection that experts would approve of. I’ve grown to dislike common perceptions such as you’re pretty much under a rock if you have kids under 5 and don’t own Eric Carle books. That Very Hungry Caterpillar…is it just me, or is there something symbolic about him? Just kidding, he lives in our house and he’s cute. Or he was 600 readings ago. But you get what I mean. There are those books that are considered by Parenting Magazine or whatever “expert” to be the best of the best. Definitely check those out at the store or library, but check a bunch of other ones out, too, and then buy only the ones you simply can’t live without. Throw Eric Carle and Maurice Sendek to the wind if you want to.

7. When it comes to buying the books you really want, there’s nothing wrong with used. Unless, of course, there is something wrong with the used book. But as a concept and general rule, buying a used book is awesome. You save trees, you save money, you pass on a book that has been read by others. I think it’s great. I know people who want crisp new pages in all their books. I sometimes wonder how we’re still friends. No, I’m kidding, but I really do think used books are wonderful. 2nd & Charles has a great selection of classics and current best sellers, and shopping the little corner book dispensaries is always a quaint delight. E-bay is always an option, too.

I love having a small library in my own home. Yes, I am trying to keep it relatively small. It once was a lot larger. Even then, I didn’t shell out large amounts of cash for the books I bought. I know there are lots of other ways to build a library on a budget, such as book swap sites and hosting a book swap in your home. I haven’t tried those options, but I’d love to hear from you if you have.

This is Day 17 of 31 Days of Picture Books. Catch up on the other posts in the series here. 31days

31 Days, Children's Books

My Favorite Children’s Books

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Today is the halfway point in the 31 Days of Picture Books Series. I think it’s high time to share my absolute most favorite picture books from my early memories.

25940451. Nora’s Castle — Satomi Ichikawa — I always dreamed of finding my own castle, and this book fueled my imagination.

2.  Keep the Lights Burning, Abby —  Peter Roop — I wanted to be a heroine like Abby!

3. Bread and Jam for Frances — Lillian Hoban — Even as a little child, when I was supposed to be relating to Frances as a peer, I thought she was so cute.

4. The Twelve Dancing Princesses — I can’t find my childhood version anywhere! But I oohed and ahhed and declared “that one’s mine” over the Princess’s dresses every time I read it.

Christina Katerina & the Box5. Christina Katerina and the Box — Patricia Lee Gauch — Give your kids a big box and childhood ecstasy is born.

This is a genre I love and I am finding (and remembering!) favorites all the time with my children, but those five are the ones I remember loving most as a little girl. Each of them had something that captured my imagination or inspired me in some way. Even Frances inspired me, because I wanted to be able to make up little ditties like her.

I’d love to know which books you still treasure from your childhood.

31 Days, Children's Books

Permanent Marker For The Brain, Or Poetry for Children

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I am a reluctant poetry fan. I have favorite poems and poets, and I am glad to have poetry included in the literature I’ve studied. Tennyson, Rosetti, Frost, and so many other wonderful wordsmiths have enriched my thoughts through their works. However, I sometimes doubt that I ever would have read a poem on my own if it hadn’t been for my schooling. I’m not naturally drawn to it, even though I remember it’s an amazing art form once I start reading. There’s something about a poem that can lodge itself in your consciousness for life. “There was a girl who had a curl…” etc. My mom let us choose the poems we wanted to memorize for school, but memorize them we had to. I can’t say I remember an entire poem besides one or two of Emily Dickinson’s, but bits and pieces of many different poems pop into my head at random throughout life.

389956Poems can stay with you for a long time, but a poem with a picture to go with it is like a permanent marker for the brain. I was probably eight or nine (or maybe older?) when my mom got Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers: A Collection of Family Poems by Mary Ann Hoberman. I loved those poems so much, I memorized them for fun. My favorite one was called “Vacation”:

In my head I hear a humming:
Summer, summer summer’s coming.
Soon we’re going on vacation
But there is a complication:
Day by day the problem’s growing-
We don’t know yet where we’re going!

Mother likes the country best;
That’s so she can read and rest.
Dad thinks resting is a bore;
He’s for fishing at the shore.
Sailing is my brother’s pick;
Sailing makes my sister sick;
She says swimming’s much more cool,
Swimming in a swimming pool.
As for me, why, I don’t care,
I’d be happy anywhere!

In my head I hear a humming:
Summer, summer, summer’s coming.
Soon we’re going on vacation
But we have a complication:
Day by day the problem’s growing-
Where oh where will we be going?

The illustrations by Marylin Hafner make the poems in the book come alive. I highly recommend it. And I highly recommend any book by Mary Ann Hoberman. The Seven Silly Eaters is particularly awesome.

Where the Sidewalk EndsAnd let’s not forget the classic triple threat of Shel Silverstein, who wrote poems, illustrated the poems, and recorded the poems (and won a Grammy for it). I loved listening to “Peanut Butter Sandwich” and my mom called me “Peggy Ann McKay” from the poem “Saturday” so many times! I wasn’t quite that level of a hypochondriac, but it always made me smile. Or at least want to smile. Yes, Shel Silverstein’s poems are a little weird. I can’t defend the man, but I’ll defend his poems (albeit weakly–how can you defend nonsense?) forever.

There are so many wonderful poetry books for little ones. Clearly, I prefer the ones on the sillier side. Or at least those are the ones that have stuck with me. I’m ashamed to say that not one verse from Robert Lewis Stevenson’s famed A Child’s Garden of Verses remains in my memory. Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky,” however…well, that just proves my point–my poetry taste is ridiculously unsophisticated. Maybe if I really think about it, the more wholesome and elegant poems will come to mind for a Part 2 of Poetry for Children.

This is Day 15 of  the series 31 Days of Picture Books. Catch up on the other posts in the series here.

Reading, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Forced Literature

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I’m not sure if I should make a list of books I’m glad I was forced to read or if it should be books I wish I hadn’t been forced to read…either way, today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic by The Broke and the Bookish is all about books you read that you didn’t choose for yourself. My list is going to be a mix of books I did and didn’t like.

1. Bonhoeffer — This is one of those books that many of the intellectual people I knew were reading so I thought I’d better read it if I was going to keep up with them. Silly, I know. Though I felt a little bit like a fish out of water with such a huge biography, it was a great book. And Eric Metaxes looks great on my “have read” list.

2. Man’s Search For Meaning — I would never have picked this book to read. It was horrific in many ways, because what Nazi prison camp memoir isn’t? It’s a great philosophical read, though.

Madame Bovary3. Madame Bovary — I really hated this book, but I had to read it for World Lit in college. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, even if it is a world famous classic. Yes, it’s an amazing piece of writing and very insightful, but I have no love for that Madame.

4. Seeds of Change — Another college class book. In my senior year I needed two more History classes to get a minor in History, so I thought, why not? I took The History of the British Empire, taught by an overzealous visiting professor. One of the hardest classes ever. And this is one of my least favorite books ever. But definitely check it out if you’re interested in how timber was a crucial commodity to England and a main reason for colonizing the New World.

5. The Hidden Art of Homemaking. Boy, did I roll my eyes at this one when mom said I had to read it for school. I don’t know why I thought that it wouldn’t be applicable to me, but now I would like to have the time to read it again.

6. The Hunger Games — My friend forced me to read this book. It turned out okay. 😉

7. The Count of Monte Cristo — My husband told me I should read this one, and it was awesome.

The Icarus Hunt8. The Icarus Hunt — My one venture into Star Wars literature. I was laid up after knee surgery and my then boyfriend (now husband) gave me a book he had enjoyed. So of course I’m going to read it! And though I will probably never read another Zahn book again, it was a good venture into that realm of books.

9. The Great Gatsby — I liked this book very well the first time I was required to read it in high school. And then we deconstructed it, reconstructed it, examined every symbol that probably wasn’t really a symbol, and on and on in college. I read it at least 10 times in one semester. I still think of it as one of the greatest pieces of literature of all time, but I’ll never enjoy it as a good read again.

10. Jane Eyre — I love it when required reading turns into a favorite list. This is another one I read more than once in college (three times, I think?), but I still love reading it now. On a side note, one of the craziest things about Jane Eyre is almost every movie I’ve seen is fairly accurate, even though they’re all so different. I didn’t realize it was so open to interpretation! There are varying degrees of Gothic themes in the movies based on the book that I’ve seen.

All in all, I’m usually glad to have read a book that I didn’t choose for myself, though I don’t always enjoy the actual reading of  it while I’m in the middle. Let’s just state once and for all that no book I recommend should be considered required reading! This is a no guilt zone. =)

Have you read books you didn’t want to read that turned out great? Or terrible?

31 Days, Children's Books, Parenting

Apple Picking and Books for Other Major Life Events

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For some of you, there are apples all over the place where you live and apple picking is not that much of a to-do. That’s not the case for me. I climbed up and picked the very first apple I’ve ever picked in my life today. My children and mom and I went to an apple farm about two hours away from our house and spent the day being touristy apple pickers. Despite the misty weather, it was delightful.

Apple Picking in Hendersonville!

1012082But here’s where reading a book about an experience before-hand is maybe not such a good idea. We read Apples and Pumpkins by Anne F. Rockwell last week before heading to the mountain orchard. I was glad to have found it at our library because it got the kids excited about the experience. However, two-year-old Isaac was extremely disappointed that there was no real pumpkin patch at the orchard we went to. I guess I didn’t explain very well to him that we were going to an apple farm, and not all apple farms also grow pumpkins. Or maybe I didn’t actually realize that myself…

591295That’s the risk you take when you try to prepare children for experience through books. And I’m okay with that. Sometimes, there are some differences between the book’s portrayal and what actually happens, but it seldom really bothers anyone. I try to find books for many different “firsts” in my children’s lives for improved additional reading. For example, before Ella went to the dentist we read lots of going to the dentist books. Our favorites were Just Going to the Dentist and Vera Goes to the Dentist.  Most parents are familiar with the many books introducing children to the ideas of becoming an older sibling or starting to potty train. There are books about moving to a “big boy bed,” books about the first day of school, books about family members with illnesses, books about losing teeth, and on and on. I think if chosen wisely, books about new experiences are great starting points for preparing children for what’s ahead. In my experience, children become panicked when they realize they’re in a totally unfamiliar situation. Once they reach that stage, there’s little chance they’ll be interested in your explaining or using logic to help them cope. Even though you may arouse some fears before hand, I’d rather take that chance and have the opportunity to deal with the fears before the panic and feeling that they’ve been betrayed by those whom they trusts somehow sets in. So far, this has worked well for me, but all children are different.

What’s your take on books and life changes? Do you use books to help navigate new experiences with your children? Share your thoughts in the comments!

This is Day 14 in the 31 Days of Picture Book Series. To see the rest of the series, go here.