MommaReads

Going on a a road trip this summer? It’s the perfect time to check out some audio books from the library. Audio books are great for a number of reasons. Even though all of your children may not be able to read or maybe they are all reading at different levels, they can all enjoy the same audio book. We listen to audiobooks all the time in the car. (Not only is it great because they are listening to books, but it keeps them from bickering in the car…they can’t hear the story if they are arguing.) 🙂 We just finished listening to the ENTIRE ten book 39 Clues series. (As great as it was, I do not recommend this series unless all of your children are over the age of eight or nine…there were some parts that were a bit violent.) Now we are listening to The Magic Treehouse Series…much less violent. 🙂 The narrator, who also happens to be the author of the books, does a great job and they are all appropriate for the entire family. Here are some other books/series that are great listening for the whole family:

*Berenstain Bears
*Little House on the Prairie Series
*Frog and Toad Series
*A Light in the Attic
*Biscuit Series
*Tikki Tikki Tembo
*Curious George
*The Three Billy Goats Gruff
*Amelia Bedelia Series
*The Boxcar Children Series

I have no idea how many times I have read this book, but it is A LOT. This was a favorite at naptime in our house for a long, long, long time. Children love to look at pictures of other children doing all of the things that they do too…cuddling with their lovey, getting tucked in, getting a kiss from mom and going to sleep. Yay, bedtime! 🙂

This is a very short book, but is a little big bigger in size than most board books which might make it easier for your little one to handle. Your child will love the pictures of babies getting dirty, taking a bath, brushing their hair and getting tickled. It also rhymes and might lead to a little tickle time of your own.

Okay, so this isn’t technically a board book, but it is a great book for those little ones who are into animals and animal sounds. It also rhymes and you know how much I love rhyming books.

This book is beautifully illustrated and beautifully written…a combo that is hard to pass up. On top of all that, your child will inevitably get lots of extra kisses each time you read this book to them.

If kisses were pebbles, your beach would be lined
with stone by the million, of all shapes and kinds.
If kisses were comets, the sky would be bright
with flashes of fire that streak through the night.

Oh, how I wish I would have known about this book when my boys were younger. They would have LOVED it! Not only does it include animals sounds and have little cut out parts so children can guess what picture is coming next, but it rhymes and it has repetition…they would have loved it as I am sure your little one will, too.

Babies love to look at pictures of other babies, especially pictures of other babies smiling. When our youngest was a baby, I cut out a bunch of pictures from parenting magazines of babies smiling and taped them to the wall next to where I changed his diapers so he could look over and see all of those smiling babies. This book is just like that, only you can take it with you and you don’t have to be in the middle of a diaper change to enjoy it.

I wish I would have known about this book when my two were little ones. This book is a great interactive book that will give you an excuse to kiss the baby, sing to the baby, tickle the baby and then kiss the baby again. Lots of cuddles and giggles will come from reading this book again and again.

Before I begin, I must tell you that I have never met a Margaret Wise Brown book that I didn’t like and this one is no exception. The way she weaves words together is fantastic, but that may not be why your little one will love this book. The youngest book lovers in your family will love the bright colors and the animals, but I bet they will also love the poetry, the phrasing and the rhyme. Happy reading!

I have had a couple of people ask me about reading logs to help their children keep track of summer reading. You can find some great ones to print off and use in your home this summer here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. There are lots of different ones, so hopefully you can find one that will work for your family. You might want to check out your local library, too. Most libraries have summer reading programs that come with a book log to help track summer reading. Happy reading!

from billygorilly.com