Books + Kids = Top Ten Tuesday

Good morning, team! It’s Top Ten Tuesday time!

This week’s topic is pretty open: “Top Ten Things I Love About X”. Read my list, then click on over to The Broke and the Bookish to read lots more.

When my parents were new parents, they worried like all new parents do. However, all new parents might not share this particular worry: What will we do if our child doesn’t like reading?  It’s true. My parents were concerned that if I did not turn out to be a reader, I wouldn’t fit into the family.

Clearly, they had nothing to worry about. I have always loved books and always loved reading. One of the great joys of becoming a parent myself has been sharing that love with my own children. So, for this Top Ten Tuesday, here are ten things I love about Books + Kids:

1. Sharing old favorites. I never stopped loving children’s and young adult books. So it’s a delight to share them with my children. Zoe loved But No Elephants, the absolute favorite of my three-year-old self, almost as much as I did. More recently she has laughed as hard as I did at The BFG.

2. Discovering new favorites. My kids also give me a great excuse reason to explore new children’s books. I love checking out a stack at the library, browsing online, and receiving children’s books from family and friends. Some of our newest new favorites are Max the Brave and Bear Is Not Tired.

3. Books at bedtime. I treasure this time of snuggling and reading together, even if we’re just reading Construction for the one thousandth time (Pro Tip: I’m looking at you, Leo). I also love watching my kids share this time with their dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other beloved adults.

Zoe and Papa: bedtime book buddies since 2009.

4. Books any time. Sometimes Zoe will stop talking / moving / watching TV, grab a huge stack of books, and ask me to read them to her. And I do. And it is Just the Best.

5. Library time. The first thing we do when we move to a new town is get our library cards. Both the Litchfield and St. James libraries have been havens for us–we’ve spent countless hours at story times, library programs, and just hanging out, reading, playing, and browsing. Leo knows right where to find the Thomas books. Both kids walk in like they’re coming home. 

Library Leo. Don’t come between him and his Thomas.

6. Books in the car. I can’t tell you how many times I read Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? to Zoe in the car. I don’t even want to think about it, really. That book is boring and it gave me a crick in my neck. But I love reading (other) books to the kids while we’re driving. (Pro Tip: While Mike is driving, I should say.) It might hurt my neck but no one is screaming or fighting and that is no small thing.

7. My big kid reading to me. I get that most people in the United States learn how to read. But it still seems miraculous to me, and it is just magical to watch it happen. The first time Zoe read Just Me and My Grandma to me, we were both surprised, awed, thrilled, and proud. The thrill is not gone.

8. My big kid reading on her own. This is pretty magical, too. I look forward to the day when we can all sit in the living room, reading our books.

9. My little kid reading on his own. He has a few favorites memorized and he loves to read them out loud. If he finds any book with a train in it he will “read” that, too, using the words of Stop Train, Stop. I love to listen to him.

10. Big kid and little kid reading together. Sometimes the back seat is filled with the sound of each of them reading as they are able. Sometimes Mike and I get five more minutes on Saturday morning because Zoe is reading to Leo in her bed. What I love the most: Zoe and Leo loving books (and loving each other) together.

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What are you loving in the world of books?