So last week was well... a tough one! All was going well, I was getting the hang of solo parenting, taking both kids out to soft play, feeling ok about managing them both when things took a very downward turn. The Wee Page Turner was overly sleepy and not feeding well and just off-colour, so we took him to the doctor who, because he is so little, sent us to hospital who tested him for everything and put him on antibiotics as a precaution until the results came back and, because he is so little, they put him in the High Dependency Unit. It all escalated really fast. He had a very common virus that most children now get vaccinated for at their 8 week check-up but of course he's only four weeks old so hasn't had it yet. We are home now and he is back to his usual self. But gosh the emotions I've been through this week. And thank goodness for grandparents! BookBairn wouldn't have had any fun if it hadn't been for them! Thank you all four of you! The week ended on a high though as we went to see the local duck race and hundreds of yellow plastic ducks floated down the river. What great fun!
I'm handing over this weeks recommendation to Rebecca from
the.bookplate. Rebecca serves up some fantasy recommendations on her table and her photos are a feast to behold! And I love her post so much I plan to write my own '
A (Bookish) Mother’s Wish' when I get a little more time to think about it!
A (Bookish) Mother’s Wish
The first time I held my oldest baby in my
arms, the enormity of the situation hit me. I was being tasked with the
responsibility to not only teach this little person everything there is to know
about life, but also to mold how they think and behave, largely craft who they are, through my own example. To
think that I was accountable for that kind of responsibility had me feeling out
of my depth and seriously lacking.
Unwilling to throw in the towel (and unable
– there’s no putting that baby back in!), I realized that I could use books to
help me instill values and important lessons to my children with little to no
effort on my part. We could use this wonderful combination of snuggles,
laughter, and board books to say what I sometimes cannot verbalize and offer
questions that we can use to explore ideas that are unfamiliar or daunting.
But even more than preparing them for the
world, it’s my belief that sharing this reading time is really about just one
thing: love. Showing your kids their
importance by setting aside your phone, chores, or other worthy pursuits in
order to share a simple act of kindness; this means the world to them, which is
ironic because they are your world.
In keeping with that thought, here is a
list of books with themes that say some of my greatest wishes for my children:
Be yourself– Giraffes Can’t Dance, by
Giles Andrea
Have fun – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, by Michael
Rosen
Imagine - Harold and the Purple Crayon, by
Crockett Johnson
Find good friends – A Color of My Own, by Leo Lionni
You are special – On the Night you were Born, by Nancy
Tillman
You are mine - Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes,
by Mem Fox
Keep trying – Kitten’s First Full Moon, by Kevin
Henkes
Don’t be scared – What was I Scared of?, by Dr. Seuss
Spread kindness –The Pout Pout Fish, by Deborah Diesen
I’m always here – Llama Llama, Red Pajama, by Anna
Dewdney
Be honest – This is not my Hat, by Jon Klassen
Be silly – Moo,
Baa, La La La, by Sandra Boynton
Forgive and forget – Little Blue Truck, by Alice Schertle
Create – If I Built a Car, by Chris Van Deusen
Share – The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry,
and the Big Hungry Bear, by Don and Audrey Wood
I love you – I Love you Through and Through, by
Bernadette Rossetti Shustak
My love is unconditional –
No, David, by David Shannon
You have great potential –
Little Acorn Grows Up, by Edward
Gibbs
You can change the world – The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown
Obviously not
every book that we’ve loved has had a moral or a purpose. Here are some of our
“just-because” favorites:
Hello, Ninja, by
N.D. Wilson
I am a Bunny, by
Ole Risom
Freight Train,
by Donald Crews
The Fire Engine
Book, by Tibor Gergely
Wow, it’s a
Cow!, by Trudy and Jay Harris
What Does Cow
Say?, by Joan Holub
ABC is for
Circus, by Patrick Hruby
Each Peach,
Pear, Plum, by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
1 is One, by
Tasha Tudor
Oh, What a Busy
Day, by Gyo Fujikawa
The Rooster
Struts, by Richard Scarry
Happy Reading!
Rebecca, from
the The.Bookplate
Thank you so much Rebecca! What a great list of books to start a child's library! Many of these I've heard of but, I'm almost ashamed to admit, we actually only have one of these books - and we only have it because of the recommendation from one of the
previous contributors to our Baby's First Books Series - On the Night You Were Born. We will need to get collecting some of these ones too. And, as I said at the start I feel inspired to write my own 'Bookish Mother's Wish' list!
Hope you enjoyed this most recent guest post, to find them all click here.
Love Mummy and the Wee Page Turner xx
How to find Rebecca:
Rebecca has a wonderful Instagram feed and you can find her by clicking here.
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