I like big books and I cannot lie!

We have a nightly routine in the Endres house that ends with a book before bed.  My boys LOVE to read, always have.  Parker, even at 18 months, will walk up to me with a book, hold it up, and say, "Reeee" or "Book".  I love this about them, and I hope that they'll continue to love reading as they grow up, just as I have. 

Many of the books we read on a daily basis are signed by very thoughtful and dear people to my heart, as they were given to us as gifts in lieu of cards at Connar's two baby showers.  I loved that idea then, but I have to say that I'm really loving it now.  For the past nearly 3 years (I know, I can hardly believe that Connar will be 3 years old in less than two months!), every day, sometimes multiple times a day, we have pulled out a book and enjoyed reading together.


I wanted to write this post for two reasons:

#1: To have somewhere to look back at that shows the boys' favorite books as little bitty boys.  We have a library of books, no joke.  Many of them came from baby showers, but many of them also came later from friends, family, and me (I've been known to make a little stop at Barnes & Noble, add an extra book to my Amazon.com order, or shop at my school's book fairs because "He HAD to have this book!" :)  ).

#2: To thank those of you that gave us a book and/or signed your name in it.  Connar and Parker may not have any idea what the handwriting says, but I do.  I feel so loved and feel such love for my boys when I see these personal notes wishing us well.  When we read our books, I'm often also reminded of the reason the book was given, like the one Connar was given as a big brother gift.  Giving a book rather than a card is a lifelong gift.  It's one that will be seen over and over and over again, especially if that book becomes one of the child's favorites.


Here are just SOME of our favorite books.  They really have so many books they love to read that either I couldn't take a picture of all of them, they were left in Houston for when we visit, or they're hiding somewhere in this mess of toys we call a house.  :)

I cried and cried, silently of course so he'd continue, the first time Connar "read" this book to me.  It never gets old, and I ask him to read it to me as often as he'll oblige.

We loved this book so much that I had to buy......

.....this book when I saw it.  And yes, it lived up to the first book.  While Connar could read the first one to me, Parker now knows certain parts of this one.  I love that.

What a great book!  If you've never read this book, trust me --- it's amazing for little ones.  The repetition, rhyming, and fun animal noises are perfect!  :)

What do you do when your kid loves bulldozers and tractors?  You buy him a book that makes those noises, of course!

We constantly sing this song now..... especially when Connar is jumping on the bed and I say, "Do you remember what the doctor said to the monkeys jumping on the bed?"  And as he continues jumping and smiling from ear to ear, he says, "Yes" and proceeds to sing the song to me like I'm the one who needs to be reminded of the lesson of jumping on the bed.  Silly boy.

You can tell this book has been loved.  The back cover has actually come off completely.  Yes, it stinks that it's falling apart, BUT I love, love, love that it's because of all the reading it has endured.  :)

This is a fun one: "I'm an elephant and I stomp my foot.  Can you do it?"  It's fun to see the boys imitate the animals.

Because Connar loved the original book, I knew he'd love this one with accompanying sounds!

Connar says, "Wets read de one wit de whale."  :)

 

 

 

 

 

An oldie but a goodie!  We just bought an app on the iPad that has 5 Dr.Seuss books, including this one which is fun because we're so familiar with it.  It was on the more expensive side for an app, but it's pretty good!  :)

There was a point around 18 months old that this was Connar's absolute favorite book, and now it's Parker's too!  They just love pointing to the pictures and naming everything.  It's a great book for those learning to talk and building their vocabulary!  This book is organized by types of items: each two page spread focuses on food, water animals, land animals, house items, etc..

Because Connar loved the last book, I knew he'd love this one too.  When I brought it home, it was an instant hit.  Both boys have enjoyed naming all the items and learning new vocabulary as they read.  We love this book too!  This book is organized by colors: each two page spread focuses on one color with tons of items that are that color.

What can I say about this one that you don't already know?  Love me some Eric Carle!

If you're looking to give a book to someone expecting a baby or just want to surprise a special little person with a new book, I hope you get some inspiration from some of our favorites. 

It's like Dr. Seuss said: "The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."  Happy reading!