The Boy is very athletic and coordinated for his 7 months. He seems to love to destroy things, throw food, tease the cat, make me laugh, and discover every single wire in the house. So, I guess you could say he seems to be taking after his father…
However, there is one area where it seems The Boy is taking after his mother! He is becoming a Book-Lover!
I have been a card carrying book-lover from as young as I can remember. I devour books and would rather read then do anything else. I can remember asking for novels as gifts, re-reading my favourite series, even staying home on occasion just to finish up a book that was an irresistible read (“Animal Farm” was my favourite). I was hoping that, if my son was to get anything from me, he would get my love of reading.
In my opinion, books can make all the difference in a person’s life. As a reader, I attribute a lot of what I have learned and many of the skills I have aquired to reading. As a teacher, I see how reading can open a child’s imagination, teach them vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and allow them to develop their own writing style. As a parent, I am starting to see how reading will be instrumental in my son’s intellectual development.
Right now, The Boy is a huge fan of books that he can lick (yes, you read that right), have bright pictures (preferably touch and feel), and big bold worlds. He loves to sit on the mats in our family room and “read” a book to himself.
If it’s one of our favourites, he loves me to read aloud as he “reads along” (also known as screeching). It is so fun to see him develop a love for something that is so instrumental in my life.
Christmas is approaching, and I already know what The Boy will be getting from his mother!
But before I run out to the bookstore, I’d like to hear your suggestions for great children’s books. What are some of your favourite books and how have they made a difference in your life?
DD always loved Dr Seuss board books when she was that age, and they are surprisingly durable too! Also have a look at Costco if you shop there, they have a great selection of baby books most of the time. I bought a set there of color, number, alphabet, etc books there and they quickly became favorites here!
we got a gift for a subcription to a series of small magazines (?), called BABY BUG.
Big pictures….one sentence…rhyming little stories about Kim and Carrots.
Used them ALL THE TIME with my son who is now 13 and used them all the time with my daughter who is now 10.
I cant part with those booklets.
I cant even lend them out. I really cherish those booklets.
I have seem them at the library, and at large book stores..not cheap but worth every penny.
Happy Reading
My mom bought our little guy a Farm book from usborne.com. He LOVES it. It took him a bit to find all the touchy parts, but now he has favourite pages and favourite “touches”. I’m hoping Santa brings him more for Christmas! (If you go to the site, choose Babies & Toddlers and then Touchy Feely. They have a ton – I had no idea!)
I’m loving these ideas!! Keep them coming…I can always think of an excuse to buy new books for my little man!
My girls also love books and reading (three year old twins), just like their mother. I devoured books as a kid, I would continue reading one author until I had finished every book she or he had written. I still read a ton. I’m also a teacher and I agree with your points about my own “schema” (hee hee, teacher word) and my students’ reading.
I have to agree with Tammy on the Sandra Boynton and the Eric Carle. We also love Corduroy by Don Freeman, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Now we’re into Dr. Seuss, Babar and Madeline (among many others). My girls also love books with characters that shared their names so we have Sophie’s Wheels, When Sophie gets Angry, Very, Very, Angry and Fiona’s Luck.
The other day Fiona was reading (a book she had memorized part of) to Sophie and said, “I’m teaching you how to read Sophie!”, sooooo cute.
I’m looking forward to reading about all the great kids books.
I have 2 little readers at my house and I have to say our favourite books from when they were very young until now (ages 4 & 7) are books by Sandra Boyton (Barnyard Bath, The Belly Button Book), Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Catepillar), Margaret Wise Brown (The Runaway Bunny) and Janet Ahlberg (Peepo!).
Oh what a great post idea! So many books– I am a book lover like you and am happy that all four of my boys devour them too. So far, two of my four were Gr.2 level readers while only in SK, so reading to them and with them paid off–not just for their love of books but as a help to me because they read to their siblings.
So, little guys loved Tumble Bumble by Felicia Bond—all the Bond books are good–her illustrations are so perfect. Big Red Barn and all the classics of course. Boynton are fun for chanting along and bedtime rhymes. An all time favourite is “I Gotta Go” by Swipe or Swope… about a caterpillar who “knows what she knows and she’s gotta go to Mexico!”.
“Bear Snores On” by Wilson is a good one and she has a few other “Bear” books– I love how the animals are really good friends and help each other out in that series. Rare to find in kids books.
I’ve noticed so much depends on HOW we read the books to them. I once watched my brother “read” Goodnight Gorilla to the boys and they were bored to tears…. “Gotta Go” and “Froggy Gets Dressed” and “There Were Monkeys in the Kitchen”…. those are great but need some good delivery.
Phew, I have to stop… I can just keep going…Did I mention I sometimes go to Indigo just to breathe deeply– just love the smell of books!! Ok, I am revealing too much… now I’m weird. Happy reading!!!
For some biblical foundations, I HIGHLY recommend 9 Fruits Alive and Jesus and the 12 Dudes Who Did. Mindy MacDonald.
I really have to recommend the Tag system…we have the original Tag which is suppose to be from 4-8 but my 2 1/2 year old has loved it after getting it for Christmas last year. It is great because it is interactive itself so it works with or without you assisting them. Tag has just launched it’s Jr. version and I am sure it is perfect for your son. My daughter also loves her Fisher Price pop up books, great pictures, easy story, interactive and very sturdy.
I too am an avid reader and both of my kids love to read. One of my favourite books as a child was The Little Engine That Could. I would read it over and over again rooting for the underdog and thrilled to see his hard work pay off. As I got older I fell in love with the Anne of Green Gables series and the Booky series. The beginning of my love of Canadian women writers. My son has loved the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, The Tale of Desperaux (which I loved too), and anything by Gordon Korman. My daughter loves the Melvin Beederman series anything she can read herself!
What a wonderful start to your sons’ life….a lover of books!