I have a baby shower to attend in a couple of weeks, and each guest has been asked to give a book. I’ve been mulling over this for a while, and I am considering the following:
1) The Classic:
2) The One No One Else Would Ever Think Of: The Philharmonic Gets Dressed. Awesome book! Also where I first learned the word brassiere. In case you were wondering that.
3) The One I Read With My Mom: Little House in the Big Woods. I read (all? most of?) the Little House series with my mother at night before bed. Seems like a good tradition to pass along.
Any other suggestions? I want to avoid obvious choices—Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Everybody Poops*, etc. Also, I recognize that two of the books above are for a slightly older audience, but that doesn’t bother me.
Goodnight Moon is my favorite book of all time! (Which I think you already knew) I think The Little House books are a good idea. They are part of a series, which is fun and makes it a no-brainer for additional gifts down the line. Slightly less fun if it's a boy, maybe?? Then again, we read them in 3rd grade and both genders enjoyed. What about Harry Potter #1?! That could be fun if you're doing a series kind of thing. Who is having a baby?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I love the Little House series (and Harry Potter)I would select something more age appropriate for an infant. I think it's sad that lots of little kids don't seem to know Mother Goose rhymes. Favorite Rhymes from Mother Goose, illustrated by Scott Gustafson is a lovely book; a more traditional look can be found in The Real Mother Goose. For hilarity, nothing beats Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs by Alan Katz & David Catrow; they have other books, too. I love them all! I'd also like to recommend Dr. Seuss and thing One Fish, Two Fish is a great "first Seuss" for small people. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteThe Philharmonic Gets Dressed! I loved that book! May I also suggest Screamy MiMi? One about an orchestra and one about an opera singer. The child will have no choice but to be musical :)
ReplyDeleteWow, I forgot about Screamy Mimi. You could recite that one by memory, if I recall. I even remember part of it.
ReplyDeleteSo many possibilities--it's almost too overwhelming. I concur with Redqueen in advocating for baby/toddler-friendly titles in general and nursery rhyme collections in particular. (Although I vote for Mary Engelbreit as nursery rhyme illustrator.)
ReplyDeleteA few other options:
1. Wee Sing songbook/CD combos.
2. An assortment of classic Golden books (absolutely including "There once was a boy with a little toy drum, rat-a-tat, tat-a-tat, rum-a-tum-tum.") However, it's gotten a little pricy to give as many as Uncle Don gave you.
3. Make Way for Ducklings (perhaps with a small duck for snuggling)
4. Anything Richard Scary, to make sure Lowly Worm is shared with another generation.
5. Harry the Dirty Dog, for obvious reasons
6. And, of course, the original Winnie the Pooh.(Although that is another to-grow-into title.)
What about a Christmas book? Or, from an OOP bookseller/ebay/amazon:
ReplyDeleteThe Thomas Book or
Cynthia Rylant's Give Me Grace and Bless Us All
Is it too late to offer suggestions? We love anything by Mem Fox, a wonderful childrens author from Australia. Philharmonic Gets Dressed IS a great choice, though. I remember reading that with you and G when you were little.
ReplyDeleteOh I hope I'm not too late! I vote for The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstien...best book ever! What a moral. Although I must say the Wee Sing series someone else suggested would come in a close second!
ReplyDelete