Mike and I were fortunate to just have spent a wonderful weekend in Charleston with two other couples, dear friends for close to 40 years.  Yes, those kind of special friends.  As the three gals were having wine and talking about becoming grandmothers, I was sharing that I’ve “hit a wall” with my writing and moving forward. Well, these two started rolling out ideas faster than I could write!   

So, this blog idea comes from friends who listen and care and filled me with new inspiration.      Thank you, Lori and Sandra!

For some new and young mothers, starting your child’s first “library” might seem a bit daunting, financially and practically speaking.  So, let’s talk about HOW to start your library and WHAT should be a part of it.  There are a lot of opinions on what books are the “best” to read to your little ones, so I’m not going to go entirely down that rabbit hole- just touch on it a bit. 

Your LIBRARY does not need to involve shelves lined with books from baby to young adult, categorized and alphabetized- (we can still go to the library for that, and we should)!  Here are some simple ideas of how to start a simple home library:

1. Start with a basket.  Honestly, you can buy the cutest baskets at Target, Walmart, or the Dollar Tree.  Pick a color scheme and something cute that makes you happy.  One or two baskets is a great start.  You can add baskets as your child grows and you add more books.
2. Shop at Goodwill, Marshalls, Homegoods, Walmart, and yard sales.  We don’t have to order brand new books for everything we want to share and read to our “littles”.  So many of us are cleaning out and down-sizing, and we just don’t have room for all of our STUFF!  You can find treasures at Goodwill and, as we know, in the line at Marshalls. 
3. Focus on the senses.  Easy-to-handle hard cover board books are wonderful for that first year.   Often these stories focus on the five senses- what our kids SEE, HEAR, FEEL, TASTE and SMELL.
4. Focus on what matters to you. Picture books often focus on how much our little ones are loved or how their story started.  One of our children is adopted, and we started reading his story to him FROM THE START.  He always knew, and that was intentional.  Read to them what matters to you.
5. Focus on the world around us.  This also ties into what’s important to us.  As a family following the Christian faith, we often choose books about God’s beautiful creation, planting seeds of wonder and awe for the Creator.  Gather books about trees and animals and the beautiful things of the world.
6. Focus on Fun.  This can connect back to rhyme but it can also just be about choosing funny, silly stories that make us laugh together.  Dr. Seuss can sure help us out here!   Eventually, reading time will become more informative, but we can show them from the start that reading can just be FUN.
7. Remember.  Think back on when you were young and the books that you remember reading with your parents or grandparents.  Maybe you can find (or dig up) some of those same stories to share with your little ones and create multi-generational memories.
8. Shower the Baby.  Instead of (expensive) cards for a baby shower, ask guests to bring a book for the mother to be!

I was just given the most beautiful book from another friend, Sara, who is a grandmother of five:  WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD, based on the song by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss and sung by Louis Armstrong.  It has been illustrated by Tim Hopgood and it might just be my #1 baby book recommendation.  It will probably get its own blog.

Building your little’s library can be simple and it doesn’t have to cost you much at all.  Booking time with our kids really is one of those things we can claim as “priceless.”

…But, if you don’t have the energy for all of that, here is a (very biased 😊) list of some sweet books to start creating your library and to “book” some time with your child:

All the World by Liz Garton Seanlon

Animal Sounds by Battaglia (or similar picture book)

Are You My Mother? by P. D Eastman

Baby Beluga by Raffi

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle

Counting Kisses by Karen Katz

God Gave us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren & Laura J. Bryant

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Happy Birthday Moon by Frank Asch

I Love You as Big as the World by David Van Buren

Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino

Just In Case You Ever Wonder by Max Lucado

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Pat the Zoo by LV Studio

The Cat in the Hat and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

The Christmas Story by Ruth J Morehead

The Counting Book by Cyndy Szekeres (or any cute counting book)

This I Know: Seeing God in the World He Made (based on Jesus Loves Me) by Clay Anderson

Time for Bed by Mem Fox

When God Made the World by Matthew Paul Turner

When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner

(Thanks Lori, Sandra, and Sara!  😊)