After posting my current reading list for 2013, I thought I would share Michael's favorite "reads" as of late. Boy, does that child love looking at books. We pull him off the grown-up shelves at least 10 times a day, and I think he is starting to get the hint. I have a little area for him for his stack of books, but apparently he knows he's missing out on the deeper stuff. Mama reads to him at least 3 times a day, and Papa usually reads to him once in the evening. And we read the same books...again...and again. These are Michael's current favorites.
He loves the Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Polar Bear, Polar Bear books...I think the repetitive nature of the text and the brightly colored picture of a single animal on each page catches his attention:
And this gem that we grew up with; hard to find, but Nana has secured one for him and for his cousins:
He likes the illustrations of the children and angels in this book, and likes finding Jesus:
As Michael enjoys watching trucks and cars drive past, he pours over this book, turning the pages back and forth; he also enjoys the 'Boats' book in this series, as he is used to seeing many different kinds of boats around the Puget Sound here.
He loves seeing the little babies on every page of this book, coos at them and tries to kiss them:
This is a real favorite of his, although not a board book, which describes the different ways animal babies are carried by their mother, with a few human babies thrown in :):
This cute little publication is from the children's magazine Highlights and is a toddler edition complete with laminated baby safe pages - so cute! My great-aunt who writes for Highlights gifted Michael with a subscription. I think he enjoys being allowed to look at something more paper-like. The illustrations and little poems and songs are fun to read aloud to him. Thank you, Aunt Patricia!
It is good to foster a love of books, of learning and of reading early, even with babies. As we read to them, they start to grasp all the new and wonderful things they can see and learn about, yes even by way of picture books - especially truths about the world and God. I remember reading this once upon a time..."Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." I saw it occur within my family growing up. Mom would patiently read through the large piles of books that we children would drag to her side; religious, science, historical biography's, nature, fiction etc., and I remember doing the same for my younger siblings. Also, as we got older, she would read aloud marvelous historical fictions books, usually pertaining to a subject we were studying in school. Just a chapter a day, over tea during the winter and outdoors during the summer. I truly believe these actions of hers nourished our love of books and of reading and still bear fruit in the present day. Thanks, Mother!
"You may have tangible wealth untold. Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be - I had a mother who read to me."
~ Strickland Gillilan
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