1000 Books Before Kindergarten

Nicole has always been a curious baby.  Since her earliest infant days she has been happiest facing out when she's held and being set down in places where she has full visual access to what's going on around her.  Her desire to watch, study and observe her surroundings typically lends itself to a happy, engaged baby with little desire to snuggle.  I am delighted by her attentive gaze and captivated by the thought she gives to her environment.

Even though I know that Nicole's unrelenting curiosity is helping her learn far more than I could ever teach her myself, my mommy heart longs for some quiet moments to snuggle up together.  You can imagine my joy when I discovered that Nicole will remain tucked into my lap for 30 minutes at a time, excitedly peering at the pictures of her favorite characters, listening intently to book after book.  I can think of nothing sweeter than having my otherwise anti-snuggling baby planted happily on my lap for story time.   We read together when Nicole wakes up in the morning, before and after naps, after dinner and on long car rides.   We read on the living room floor, on the couch or in Nicole's purple chair.  We spend so much time reading together that it only took us 2 1/2 months to complete the 1,000 books before Kindergarten program at our library.

As Nicole grows up, I am excited to find out who her favorite literary characters will be. Maybe Arthur, or Franklin or Shelia Rae? I smile when I think about the time we'll spend exploring Bear Country together as we read the Berenstain Bears and the many adventures we'll go on with Madeline. For now, Nicole's two favorite books are, The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen, and Duck & Goose, Goose Needs a Hug by Tad Hills.

 

We check out new books from the library at least once a week so I know that we are bound to discover new favorites as time goes on.  What are your favorite children's books? 

I hope you're having a great week! 

Love, 

Erica