This year’s picks

When CT started Kindergarten the principal of the school sat us down and told us about their family’s yearly ritual.  At the beginning of every year she would buy each of her kids a special book picked out just for them.  So each new school year, on the first day of school, she would give them the gift of words and add a book to each child’s library. 

We loved this idea and decided to incorporate it.

When I started off on the search for CT’s first book I had no idea which direction I wanted to go.  After reading through several books I came across Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg.  I loved his pencil renderings and the fact that there was adventure and suspense riddled throughout the book. 

The “adventure theme” continued on into first grade with the Jungle Gym Jitters by Chuck Richards .  CT seemed a bit nervous about being such a big kid and the lesson of the story is about courage and “acting in spite of your fright” which seemed to be a nice way to start the year.

This year, for second grade, I took the plunge and bought him The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden. This will be a book that will live on for many years in our house.  It’s amazing from a parent’s as well as a child’s perspective.  Page through it if you can, my guess is you won’t leave the store without it. 

And today PJ got her first book.  It was a hard decision to find something that fit her personality, chutzpah and touched on the wonderfully exciting experience that she was about to embark on.  I found Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth.  The illustrations are fabulous and the stories thought-provoking. 

Here’s to raising kids who love books, there are so many good ones out there.  What are some of your favorites?

Filed under Children's books | Comment (0)