Category: Events

Ten Bookish Gift Ideas for a Baby Shower

Posted in Children's, Events, Holiday, Read Aloud2 Comments

Will you be attending a baby shower or buying a baby gift soon? This is a great time to help build baby’s library and make sure the nursery is well stocked for many bedtime read alouds to come!

If you’re the one planning a baby shower, I love when the invitation asks guests, “Instead of a card for baby and mother, please give a book with your thoughts in the cover”. Many of my daughter’s favorite books and read alouds were baby gifts from friends and family and it is so wonderful to open a book and see a loved one’s name inside.

Not sure what book to choose? Here are some ideas to get you started!

Ten Bookish Gift Ideas for a Baby Shower

1. A Fun, Silly Board Book by Sandra Boynton–she has many!

Board books are also a perfect, durable choice for easy sharing with a little bookworm that might love chewing on the pages.

 

2. One of Nancy Tillman’s Sweet Stories

These board books make loving, sentimental read alouds. On the Night You Were Born is our favorite.

 

3. A Delightful Bedtime Read Aloud

Meet Little Nutbrown Hare in the classic Guess How Much I Love You or discover beautifully illustrated dreamlands in Dream Animals. Both are perfect for reading over and over with a sleep little one!

 

4. A Board Book for Learning

Try a book that teaches–from where baby’s eyes and nose are (Where is Baby’s Belly Button) to baby’s First 100 Words, or well known nursery rhymes such as “Humpty Dumpty” and “Mary Had A Little Lamb” (Usborne Very First Nursery Rhymes).

 

5. Holiday Read Alouds

A great idea for building baby’s library is by gifting books for holidays. We received books for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Halloween and more at our baby shower and it has been so helpful to have those ready to share with our little one! Some of our favorites are Leslie Patricelli’s funny stories such a Boo!, Fa La La, and Huggy Kissy.

 

6. A Classic Picture Book

Help build baby’s library with one of these wonderful picture books to enjoy for years to come!

 

7. A More Recent Picture Book Favorite

Gift one of these stellar books to stock the nursery! Capture the imagination with The Dot or Sam and Dave Dig a Hole and inspire perseverance (Ada Twist Scientist) and gratitude (Last Stop on Market Street). You also can never go wrong with  a book from Mo Willems’ crowd pleasing, laugh out loud Elephant and Piggie and Pigeon series.

 

 

8. A Bookish Onesie from Out of Print

Pair your gift of a classic picture book with a coordinating bookish onesie!

 

 

 

9. A Storybook Gift Basket

You can create a gift basket with a children’s book and coordinating stuffed animal or other items. I’m a big Peter Rabbit fan and loved the coordinating blanket and baby dish set we received. Barnes and Noble has quite a few character stuffed animals including Peter Rabbit, Pigeon, and Madeline. Your local bookstore would be another good place to try.

 

10. A Subscription to Hello Magazine from Highlights

We received a Hello magazine subscription as a baby gift and it has been a hit! It’s fun to get mail each month and the magazine makes a great read aloud choice. My favorite part though is how perfectly constructed this is for babies and toddlers– it’s the perfect size for little hands (and to throw in the diaper bag), the pages can be chewed on and tugged without ever getting damaged and you can wipe it down.

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Do you have a favorite bookish gift idea for a baby shower? Share in the comments.

Don’t forget to subscribe to A Bookish Home to receive your weekly email with a new post sharing ideas for building a culture of reading in your home. You can also follow A Bookish Home on Twitter (@ABookishHome) or Facebook (@ABookishHome).

 

Have a Bookish Birthday Party

Posted in Children's, Events, Holiday, Read Aloud4 Comments

Are you planning a birthday party for your little one? Make it bookish!

1. Choose a Book Your Child Loves.

I’m always looking for ways to create a culture of reading in our home, so when it came time to pick a theme for my daughter’s first birthday party, we went with her favorite book–Never Touch a Monster by Stuart Lynch.

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She helped pick this adorable touch and feel board book at her daycare’s Scholastic Book Fair and it has been well loved this year–to the point that I had to sneakily replace it when it began to fall apart from all of my little bookworm’s chewing! (This also made me extra happy because in my pre-librarian life I worked at Scholastic). I highly recommend this one to any babies in your life as a funny, interactive read aloud they won’t be able to get enough of.

Basing a birthday party theme on a favorite book  would also work for older children. Some books that might lend themselves well are Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Dino sports books, Harry Potter, Curious George, Land of Stories, The Lorax, the Rainbow Magic fairies series, Pete the Cat, Elephant and Piggie, Pinkilicious, and Wings of Fire.

 

2. Order or Make Decorations that Relate to the Story.

I have seen official book decorations, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Those are wonderful, but you can buy or make related decorations if it’s a different book your child loves. So if your little one is a big Wings of Fire fan, you could look for dragon decorations. For the Rainbow Magic fairy books, go with a fairy theme or for The Lorax, you could try making truffula trees. Then you can also display copies of the book, either your own or from a library.

For the Never Touch a Monster book we ordered some monster decorations that looked similar to the characters in the story.  We also bought two new related touch and feel titles for our celebration we thought our little reader would love–That’s Not My Monster… by Fiona Watt and Never Touch a Dinosaur by Stuart Lynch. The books were able to double as decorations and party entertainment as well. I wasn’t feeling particularly crafty so this was a way to make the party feel special for her without taking much effort!

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3. Buy Books for Birthday Presents.

If you’re like me and try to get most of your books at the library, this is a good excuse to stock up on some new titles! Used bookstores and kids’ tag sales are also a great way to buy children’s books on a budget.

I found the presents I wanted while browsing at a fantastic independent bookstore I visited on a recent trip to Colorado: Boulder Bookstore. They had such a wonderful children’s section to discover new books in and it always makes me happy if I can support an independent bookstore.

 


The board books I chose for my little bookworm are Pride and Prejudice: A Counting Primer (A Baby Lit Book) by Jennifer Adams, My Little Cities: Paris by Jennifer Adams, and Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering by Ruth Spiro. These books are each part of a series with beautiful illustrations and interesting stories for children in the areas of literature, science, and travel (click on the links to see more titles). I also found an adorable Little Feminist board book set with pages on many important women “Artists”, “Leaders”, “Activists” and “Pioneers” such as Maya Angelou, Queen Elizabeth I, Malala Yousafzai, and Sally Ride.

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4. Write your Child Birthday Messages Inside the Books.

These were perfect titles to share thoughts on wishing her a life where she can follow her dreams and do anything she sets her mind to! I’m hoping to start a tradition of giving my daughter books every year for her birthday with keepsake messages written inside. You could write your child a message on their birthday book each year and then keep them on a special shelf.

 

5. Enjoy the Party and Read the Books with your Little One!

Celebrate, play, and read on the day of the party. Then you can continue to enjoy any books you’ve given as presents during daily read alouds together!

 

Have you made a children’s book a theme for a birthday party? Or have you gifted any great books lately? Share your ideas in the comments!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Posted in Children's, Events, Holiday3 Comments

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Friday, March 2nd is Dr. Seuss’s birthday and Read Across America Day! I’m celebrating all week long with Seuss read alouds and activities in the library and Seuss bedtime read alouds for my little one. I’ve also invited teachers and students to vote for their favorite Dr. Seuss book with stickers on a display outside the library.

Here are some of the top picks so far, which you might want to share with the kids in your life to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday!

 

My favorite Dr. Seuss book is Oh The Thinks You Can Think, which makes a great read aloud for any age.

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I love the way Dr. Seuss encourages us to use our imaginations in this one and I emphasize how cool it is that he makes up so many interesting creatures, places, games, and even food in the story. For the older students, we make the connection that this is what some of our favorite fantasy authors do, for example JK Rowling’s creation of “Quidditch”, “Hogwarts”, and “Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans”. After we read, I like to challenge students to make up their own words, like Dr. Seuss did, at one of our centers. It’s been so fun seeing what they come up with!

On Friday, we’ll have a special “breakfast for dinner” for our Seuss celebration at home. I’m going to make this green eggs and ham recipe from 100 Days of Read Food. I like that I don’t have to go out and buy green food coloring for this one, she just blends in some kale.

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Green Eggs and Ham Recipe from 100 Days of Real Food

I hope you have fun celebrating! Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

 

Update: If like me, you realize you are short a few shopping ingredients, you can improvise and do green eggs with avocado and bacon!

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18 Ways to Celebrate Little Women’s 150th Anniversary Year

Posted in Books for Adults, Children's, Events7 Comments

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I recently discovered with much excitement that 2018 is the 150th anniversary of the publication of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The world of the March sisters-Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy-is one I have revisited countless times and it ties with Avonlea and my beloved Anne of Green Gables as my all time favorite. There is something so comforting about escaping into the heartwarming pages of this story and each time I reread I’m struck by different character or lines. I’m know I’m not alone in imagining myself as Jo and drawing strength from this smart, courageous heroine as a young girl. Now, as a mother, I also find in Marmee inspiration for the kind of wise, loving parent I hope to become. Whether you’re taking up Little Women for the first time or the fourteenth, it’s a wonderful time to celebrate this incredible story.

Here are eighteen ways you can celebrate all things Louisa May Alcott in 2018:

  1. Read Little Women on your own or aloud to the little ones in your life. 

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If you’re rereading, try The Annotated Little Women edited by John Matteson. I recently bought this enormous, amazing edition and it is positively loaded with interesting historical notes, Alcott trivia, and photographs to enhance your reading experience. Some of my favorites so far are photographs of Anna Alcott’s wedding dress and a page of Little Women’s original manuscript, a Norman Rockwell illustration of Jo, and Abigail Alcott’s recipe for sugar gingerbread.

2. Read this board book, Little Women: A Playtime Primer, the perfect bedtime story for your baby or toddler.

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3. Visit Orchard House, in Concord Massachusetts.

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I’m lucky enough to live a mere 20 minutes away from the home in which Louisa May Alcott  wrote Little Women and based the story. If you’re not so fortunate, Orchard House, now a museum, is still well worth the pilgrimage for any Alcott fan. I brought my daughter for the first time last weekend and was amazed once again at how lovingly preserved the Alcott’s home is. On a guided tour you can stand in Louisa’s bedroom and look at the desk where she wrote Little Women. You get to see the sketches May (Amy) drew on her bedroom walls and her many paintings created on trips to Europe. There’s Abigail’s (Marmee’s) family china, Anna’s (Meg’s) marriage certificate in the room where she married John Pratt and so much more. The guides are incredibly knowledgeable about all things Alcott and there is a shop that will surely break the budget of any Little Women fan with all of the wonderful books, ornaments, and memorabilia available. Orchard House has also created a Little Women Sesquicentennial  website. So far they have put up a great photo gallery and it looks like there will be a calendar of events and a blog.

4. While you’re in Concord, check out the Concord Bookshop. 

Stock up on Alcott titles and the works of local literary figures who were Louisa’s neighbors: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

5. Read this biography of Louisa May Alcott by Harriet Reisen and learn about “The Woman Behind Little Women”. 

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I picked up this book when it first came out in 2010 and found it impossible to put down. Reisen brings Louisa to life and it is because of this book that I became just a tad (ok, a lot) obsessed with Alcott herself and the ways her life intersects with the fictional Jo March.

6. Read Eight Cousins, my other favorite book by Louisa May Alcott. 

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Meet Rose, another unconventional heroine whose family life and world you’ll want to inhabit. You can also visit Eight Cousins bookstore in Falmouth, Massachusetts, named after the children’s book classic.

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Their website says they are currently renovating, but should open this spring.

7. Read the first book in the wonderful middle grade series, “The Mother Daughter Book Club” in which a group of girls living in Concord read Little Women with their moms and become friends.

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I recommend this middle grade series in the library all the time. It’s stellar realistic fiction and as a bonus, it often inspires students to read the book club books which in addition to Little Women include Anne of Green Gables, Betsy-Tacy, Pride and Prejudice and more.

8. Check out the website and blog Louisa May Alcott is My Passion by Alcott enthusiast Susan Bailey.

9. Pop some popcorn, get the kleenex ready and watch the classic 1995 Little Women movie adaptation starring Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, and Christian Bale. 

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10. Read Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother by Eve LaPlante. 
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Learn about Abigail Alcott’s backstory growing up in the wealthy May family in Boston and the inspirational role she played in Louisa’s life.

11. Pair Marmee and Louisa with a reading of Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father, for a look at the complicated Bronson Alcott. eden's outcasts

This is a fascinating look at Louisa’s father, a philosopher, teacher, and writer whose financial ineptitude and strict beliefs often led to much more challenging circumstances than the fictional Marches faced.

12. Visit Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts to see where Bronson Alcott moved the family for an experiment in “communal living”.

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Photo credit: Tim Grafft/MOTT

If you’re from Massachusetts, check to see if your library has a museum pass for discounted admission. Fruitlands is one of the 116 properties you can visit with a  “Trustees of the Reservations GO Pass”.

13. Become a member of the Louisa May Alcott Society. Yes, this is real! I just discovered it and am signing up immediately.

14. Order yourself some Little Women swag to get in the spirit. 

15. Read the fantastic new historical fiction book The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper. 

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Walk in the shoes of May Alcott as she contends with her portrayal as Amy, the March sister no one wanted to be, while trying to make it as an artist in Boston and Europe and come out from the shadow of her famous sister.

16. Attend the 2018 Summer Conversations series at Orchard House July 15th-19th: “Little Women in the 21st Century: Celebrating 150 Years of Inspiration” . More details are still to come, but according to the website “Speakers and participants in this year’s Summer Conversational Series will examine why Little Women is still important in the 21st century, what difference it has made over time in the world of literature, and what it means to readers today.” Lectures by Little Women experts and discussions with devoted fans of the book? Sign me up!

17. Watch the Masterpiece adaptation of Little Women coming to PBS in May. I’m normally hesitant about new movie versions, but the trailer looks wonderful!

18. Last but not least, introduce a future Alcott fan to Little Women. Recommend the book or gift a copy to an adult or child in your life!

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Nothing makes me happier than recommending Little Women to one of my students in the library and then finding out they loved the book. My ten-month-old daughter also has a growing collection of Alcott books ready and waiting for her!

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