If there is one thing that is consistent in Gemma's daily schedule it is being read to. I'm a big reader and I really try to encourage her love of books. There aren't many things more important for a child than a healthy, active imagination so we read...
In a lot of ways the electronics and television shows that a lot of kids her age love have been replaced by her books... Brandon and I are okay with that for now as it's only a matter of time until there's a cell phone in her hand and she's rolling her eyes at us. Of course, she's still a sucker for Sofia and Super Why.
Here are our favorite kid's books! Jude, Jaden & Gemma tested and approved!
Gemma got this in her easter basket last year and now we have two copies. It's sweet and short. The illustrations are in beautiful pastels and pale pinks. Perfect for tea party time!
This one is a fun rhyming book. I don't dread reading it (like so many other kids books) and Gemma enjoys finding the hidden characters. Jaden gets especially impatient when Gemma can't find something that she's found in the book a thousand times before but she loves reading this one to her... and I love hearing them read to each other.
This one is hilarious! And so practical. I use the craziest grumpiest voice I can when reading it and by the last page we're all in a fit of giggles. The illustrations are also really freaking awesome for anyone who has an affinity for graphic design.
This is another sweet one. Jude picked this out for Gemma when we were in South Louisiana with Brandon for work. When she picks this one she tells me she wants me to read "bubba's book" and that's probably why we love it so much and probably a lot of the reason why it's on this list. But apart from that it really is a sweet book about the comfort and the love we find in our families.
Numbers! There are so many amazing number books out there. This one is not a teaching book, to me at least. It has familiarized Gemma with what numbers look like though. It's also pretty cute. Sandra Boynton, the author, is a kids book genius. So, enough said.
If you have ever read a Nancy Tillman book you know why this is on our list. As a parent it can sometimes be hard to put into words how we feel about our kids... That is not a challenge for the author of these books... The illustrations are dream like and magical but the words... you'll cry I promise. We received this one as a gift at Gemma's baby shower and after I read it I ordered every other Nancy Tillman board book I could find. They are just beautiful. The message of this book is truly a universal one.
This was also a baby shower gift and I also ordered every other one by the same illustrator. The pictures are unbelievably cute. These are rhyming books too for the most part. Like Bunnies For Tea I quickly learned these by heart because Gemma asked for them so often. We started incorporating books into her bedtime routine almost immediately after she started sleeping in her own room, so it really helped that I knew these by heart and could recite them if we were away from home and our books and she needed comforting and familiarity at bedtime.
Gemma is lucky enough to have an Auntie that has become a book fairy to her. There are so many times when we meet for lunch or she stops by for Gemma kisses that she has new books for Gemma. She really and truly believes that all of her books came from Auntie S and I think that's adorable. I am unbelievably grateful to have such a wonderful friend who encourages Gemma to love books the way we did as kids and still do.
Jude finished all of the Series of Unfortunate Events books over the summer and he can usually be found in bed laughing quietly at any of the Bad Kitty books.
Jaden has read almost every Ivy + Bean book. Some two or three times! She has a few Junie B. Jones and she started Cody & The Fountain of Happiness at the end of summer...
All three of them love to read and be read to so much. During our first summer together (my first summer as a step mom) we didn't have Gemma yet and Brandon was away for work. Two weeks at a time... It was me Jude & Jaden 24/7. I got lonely a lot and it was challenging for all of us at times... but we connected so much over books. The Chronicles of Narnia read aloud will probably make any kid love you though...
XOXO
Miranda
P.S. Gemma got this book last week and we've read it about 84 times and it's perfect for a little Ballerina on Halloween.
Vampirina Ballerina
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