I LOVE Books . . .

Guess what - I LOVE books. And I LOVE reading to little people. But sometimes the trick is to get the little people to sit and listen. We all know how important it is to read to our children. I guess I am really excited about this becuase even though my life is really busy - I look forward to reading to our new grandbaby when she arrives.

Ok - now I need to back track here for a moment. Since the news of our soon to be "grandparent hood" I have been excited to help Morgan and Trent prepare for this new little life. I have always dreamed of what kind of grandma I wanted to be and guess what ? The time is NOW !!! Needless to say the economy has really hit our home and my business in the Scrapbooking Industry (but I have all the faith that 2010 is going to be a good year and it will build back up - but as for now there is very little moola which makes for challenging times) So we have been a bit challenegd financially - but those who know me know that I LOVE a challenge. So I have become the queen of thrift shops, second hand stores and clearance racks. Finding these bargains has almost become an obsession. Becuase now I won't buy anything baby girl for more than $1. You probably cringe at the thought of what I must be buying for .50 - $1 - but I promise you that you would be amazed at what I have found and never in a million years would you beleive what I have paid for it. I may have to start taking pictures of some of my incredible finds.

So with that said. I have been searching for the perfect childrens books - but refuse to buy them new (unless of course they are on a blow out clearance rack) Becuase you know all childrens books are only .69 at SAVERS. As I researched the "perfect books for baby" in order to develop language and inspire a love of reading I came across this list.

MUST HAVES FOR EVERY FAMILY :

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister


The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
 
Now having six kids I know some more of the "all time favorites" that we had to read over and over. I know that when choosing baby books to read to infants and toddlers you should look for bold, interesting pictures, rhyming text and simple words that are easy for babies to follow.
 
One thing that I always knew but I can honestly say that I didn't take much time to do was reading to baby during your pregnancy. Recent studies have shown that babies may even remember the rhyme and rhythm of the books you read while they were in utero! So needless to say I won't be reading to baby Mallory while she is in Morgan's tummy. (That might be crossing the line of CRAZY OBSESSED GRANDMA TO BE - which I am already teetering on) But I surely will be on the hunt to find some good books for Morgan and Trent to read to my precious grandbaby. These are the ones recommended for optimum brain development -

1. Oh Baby! The Places You'll Go
2. Pat the Bunny
3. Where the Wild Things Are
4. The Cat in the Hat
5. Where the Sidewalk Ends
6. Hop on Pop
7. Love You Forever
8. Goodnight Moon
9. Mama, do you love me?
10. Brown Bear, Brown Bear
11. Guess How Much
12. Time For Bed
13. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Now remember - I won't be paying full price for any - let me see what I can find - working on a basket of books from grandma. I will return and report.

So if you have any of these that your children have out grown and you would like to get them off your hands just let me know. I think I might be able to hook you up with some cool scrapbook stuff in return.