The Book Basket: March

I posted about the "book basket" last month, and I have to admit: I didn't think it was going to work. I didn't want to mention it to the kids (specifically Carson) because I wanted to see if they would notice on their own. And finally, at the very end of the month, he dragged every single book out and we read them all twice in the same sitting! He liked some of them so much, that I left them out through the beginning of the month, and I just changed them the other day.

I realized another benefit of the basket is that I can read to Carson while Josie is schooling, since it is down in the living room. I read so many picture books to Josie before Carson was old enough to understand or appreciate, and by the time he really got into picture books she was into chapter books. I think it is important to read both, and we read the chapter books (or just the "chapter" as Josie refers to them) at night before bed. We recently finished all the "Little House" books and are on our third "Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle". Anyway, I just think Carson kind of got slighted in that department. So this is especially for him!

 I debated when choosing a theme for this month. I thought about doing Easter, but I didn't want to be constrained by just the holiday. I also thought about doing books just on "green" but that also felt a little too constricting. I finally settled on a loose theme of colors: either books about colors, or with a color in the title. We ended up with:

1. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess, of course! A perennial childhood favorite that is delighting Carson, especially since he is learning to read. He was amazed he could recognize some of the words!

2. The Little Red Hen, Little Golden Book edition. Bless Chick-fil-A for bringing back some of these classics. Carson couldn't believe that the Hen wouldn't share her bread!

3. How Do Dinosaurs Learn Their Colors by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. This has demonstrated the difference between reading to girls and boys. Josie didn't give a hoot about the dinosaur names, but Carson had me repeat them over and over.

4. Green Bear by Alan Rogers. This is an old Discovery Toys book that was a favorite of my sister, Lisa Dawn. It always brings back fond memories of her.

5. A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni. This book has sweet art, and is a simple ode to friendship. It is one of those that never got pulled off the shelf. It is nice to see it in the rotation.

6. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. One of my childhood favorites! It is so full of whimsy and I love the minimalistic drawings. Definitely a book to encourage imagination.

7. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. We used this book to teach Josie her colors, and I am particularly fond of these sturdy board book editions.

This month's selections are a hit already. Carson and I spent over half an hour reading this morning. I am already planning out new "collections"!