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Kids Library: A Few Books We're Enjoying Right Now

As I've mentioned before, we are a family of readers. And, though my son was a little slower to start, now, all four of us can regularly be found with our noses in books...and I love it!

Right now I am finishing up a book club book (about 80 pages to go, and the book club meeting is tomorrow night...here's hoping I make it!), Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (a decent read, so far).


And I finally read Fifty Shades of Grey last month (more on that, and my final four reviews of my niece's top ten book list, all to come in a later post!). And I've got a whole stack of new books from Christmas sitting on my nightstand just waiting to be devoured!


My husband is halfway through The Snowman by Jo Nesbo (detective/mystery). I got him the book for Christmas...his second read by this author. He really liked the first one he read (The Leopard) and says this one is an equally good read.


Both my husband and my dad are big detective/mystery genre readers, so I'll do a separate post with some of their favorites. But we're here to talk kids' books today!

First, for my 4 year old daughter...here are a few books we've been enjoying recently...

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The Wedding of Brown Bear and White Bear by Marie Henry and Martine Beck is a 50-cent find at the library book sale...sort of random, but a lovely little love story with pretty artwork. I like how it captures the nerves that come with liking someone new. Library Mouse- A Friend's Tale by Daniel Kirk was a Christmas gift from Grandma, who knows we are library rats ourselves! It's a cute story of friendship and a love of books. And The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen was a last-minute library selection that my daughter grabbed on the way out...and, lo-and-behold, we love it! A fun, rhyming, sing-songy romp with a great "hide-n-seek" animal page.

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Two other recent library finds...We've enjoyed other Ladybug Girl books (by David Soman and Jacky Davis) in the past...my daughter even dressed as Ladybug Girl for Halloween when she was two. We like Lady Bug Girl and Bumblebee Boy's story of compromise, inclusion and imaginative play...plus there's her cute dog, Bingo! And, finally, Tallulah's Tutu by Marilyn Singer is a new, regular bedtime story selection...my daughter likes this story centered around dancing--she started her first dance class this fall--and it's ballet terminology make for good practice at home, and I love Alexandra Boiger's beautiful illustrations.

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We don't just go for books here, we like magazine's too! A Ladybug magazine subscription was a birthday gift from Grandma and is a hit...primarily because my daughter LOVES getting mail (Who doesn't! Remember when mail didn't just consist of bills and junk!). They're short magazines with a selection of stories, poetry, i-spys and whatnot. It usually takes us two bedtime storytimes to get through an issue once, then we reread whenever the mood strikes us. I like that it introduces my daughter to magazines and poetry. And I just love how her face lights up when it arrives in the mail!

Now, on to my 1 1/2 year old son..here are a few books we've been enjoying recently...

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Things that interest my boy: trucks, animals, saying "boo!", trucks and animals. Okay, maybe it's a bit more expansive than that, but trucks are pretty high on the list. Trucks Go by Steve Light is awesome! My son calls it the "Whee-Ooo" book, for the sound the firetruck in it makes. We read this book every night since Santa brought it (and Mommy just ordered Trains Go for Valentine's Day!). Silly Sausage by Beth Pountney is another fave. It has a soft, touch-and-feel ear on the front and Grandma got him his own Silly Sausage stuffed dog to go with it. My son says, "No-no" to that silly dog on every page when Silly Sausage tries to eat things he's not supposed to eat. So cute! Trucks by Byron Barton is a library book...a random Mommy selection that has been a hit...every page shows a different kind of truck--what's not to like about that! And Who's There On Halloween by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagan Nipp is another Grandma gift that has been a part of our regular bedtime routine since October! Boo!

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Touch and Feel Kittens came from my son's Opa...my son's favorite part is the scratchy touch-and-feel basket and this book finally got him to say "Meow." Puppy Love is another touch-and-feel hit...again with that scratchy basket! But her also loves the sweet, sleeping Bella dog...he calls this book the "Night-night" book because of her. Animal Time by Tom Arma is a library loan that combines two things toddlers love: animals and babies! And Good Night Country Store by Adam Gamble is a household fave. I may have mentioned before because this was a favorite of my daughter's a while back and I just introduced it to my son. What I love about this book is all the different things you can point out each time you read it because every page is chock-full of fun stuff so it becomes more of a conversation between you and your child than just simply reading a book.

Now you know what our noses are buried in right now...so, go find a good book and a comfy chair and get your readin' on!

Until next time, happy page-turning!

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