Children's Books

Children’s Books

I love books of all kinds. I’m such a junkie that this year, when the school library cleared out “old” books, I brought home three paper boxes full of books. Most were written in maybe the 60s or 70s, but I kept thinking that my children might want to read them. Also, I have a hard time checking books out from the library because I want to keep them. I want them to be mine. Just yesterday, I was at Books A Million and bought books for my kids. I could have bought every book in the section, but I’m on a limited budget. I bought one that we read last night, The Moon Dog. The artwork was superb and the story was so cute. It makes me want to go back today and buy more books. We have three bookshelves full of books, so obviously I don’t need to buy more. However, I love to read new books to the kids, books they haven’t read before. There is something about that excitement of having a book and not knowing how it will end.

The funniest children’s book we have in our house is The Owl and The Pussycat. I have a very difficult time reading the book with a straight face, and my husband has an even harder time. I just tried to Google it to get an excerpt, but I can’t find one that is satisfactory. Basically, the owl is talking to the pussycat and repeatedly talks about how he loves his pussy and says “Oh my pussy my pussy.” How can any adult read that with a straight face? When we read children’s books in my high school classroom, I was sure to not bring that one in.

My favorite books as a child were the Golden Books. I loved them. My mom would read them to me over and over. I guess that is where my love for reading began. I have such fond memories of lying in my room on a rainy day and enjoying a good book. My kids are just the same. This morning, Jeremiah, 2, brought me a book while I was busy trying to get ready. He said, “Mommy read me this book.” How could I say no? So, I took a break to read him the book. That is pretty typical of my children. Many times they would rather sit and look through books than play. Abby-Kate is hysterical because EVERY night she has to have at least five books to look at before she goes to sleep. Each night, after she goes to sleep, I’ll go in and clear off the books from her bed. I wish I had a camera to document the process and see how she finally decides she has read enough and that she can go to sleep.

Something I also look for in children’s books is diversity. I want books that have children of various sizes, ages, colors, actions, etc. I don’t want my kids to have only one view of the world. However, being the overprotective mom, I censor some of the words. Just recently, I bought a book that I thought looked interesting for the kids. Then, as I read it, I began to realize I might should have reconsidered. There was a little girl who was kind of large and the other kids made fun of her. They even used the fat word, which we don’t. The moral of the book was to teach kids that they can exercises and eat healthy and still have an occasional snack, but I was too scared my daughter would then begin to judge people by their size. She has begun to notice size, and I’m trying to teach her not to focus on that, but when the book does, it is hard to avoid.

I also have a lot of beautiful pop-up books. However, a word of advice. If you have a little girl, great. Use those pop-up books all day long. But, if you have a son, HIDE THEM. I can’t believe how many books Jeremiah has torn. I just quit gluing them back together because he would tear them again. I’ve hidden the really good books, but I hate that too because I feel guilty for not letting them have access to those great books. One in particular is a book based on the Chronicles of Narnia. This book cost a pretty penny, but it is worth it. The book has a page dedicated to each of the stories within the chronicle. The artwork is absolutely superb and the way all the pieces fit together is also amazing. I hide this book because I really don’t want it to fade away.

One thing that I have discovered in reading so many books to my kids is that they really listen, even at a young age. Last summer, when Abby-Kate was three, we checked out an unreal number of books. By the way, the Tifton library will let you check out as many books as you can carry. That is just unreal to me. Anyway, we checked out books about all kinds of topics. We checked out picture books, chapter books, etc. Well, we read a couple about the Revolutionary War. Later in the summer, we went to see Kung Fu Panda, and during the previews, the video for “Citizen Soldiers” came on. There is a scene that portrays citizen soldiers from the revolutionary war. Abby-Kate leaned over to me during the scene and said, “We read about that.” I was so excited that she made that connection.

Something else I’ve found interesting is that stars are now writing children’s books. I wonder if they would have been able to write those books if they were not stars. We have a book by Spike Lee, Please, Puppy, Please. My kids absolutely love the book. I bought it because it was about a puppy, but I wonder if the book would have ever been published if it weren’t written by Spike Lee. Another star is Jamie Lee Curtis. One of the ones we have, Today I Feel Silly: and Other Moods That Make My Day, is so cute because the little girl describes all the moods she might feel in a day. She even addresses diarrhea, which I then had to explain to my child. At the end of the book, there is a little picture of a girl and the reader can spin the eyes and mouth to determine how she/he feels. I think it is too cute. Again I ask, would she have had this book published if she were not famous? Okay, enough of that.

I try to provide my children all kinds of books. When we get the Scholastic book order forms, I scour it for good deals and good books. My kids love non-fiction books about animals, so we have a great many about the ocean, the desert, etc. I tried to use Brenda’s theory and I read Jeremiah a book about the ocean. I was surprised that he actually did sit and look at it for a minute, but then he was off again. Mainly, with him, I find myself reading aloud, hoping he will eventually hear me. Abby-Kate, however, is glued to the book with rapt interest. As my voice rolls with the language of the story, her face shows the emotions she feels for the characters. Sometimes I feel like a bad mom because I won’t read every book they want me to read before they go to bed. I think they are trying to stall the process of going to bed, but maybe I should read more of them. Usually we read three or four, depending on the level. I try to read at least two for Jeremiah, and then one or two for Abby-Kate, but that doesn’t always happen. I keep telling myself that some parents don’t even read, so at least I’m doing that!