He looked at his computer screen then at me a bit hesitantly. “Do you know you have 70 books checked out? That’s not 17, it’s 70,” he emphasized the last words.
I smiled. Our family always amazes new library personnel. I replied how I usually do. “There are six of us reading, and we like to help out the library circulation budget. I have them all collected in a basket in our living room, and we will get to all of them before they’re due.”
From the time I took my five and two-year-old to story time, the library has been an important part of our week. Mary would entertain them by reading books, doing finger plays and activities on the felt board. We’d take a pile of books home, and I read to my first two little ones until they could read on their own by the first day of kindergarten.
Mary is now the manager of the library and all of my kids have outgrown story time <sniff>. When we stop in, she always comments on how much the kids and our pile of books have grown. We visit every week and hate it when we have to miss.
It makes me sad when parents tell me their kids don’t like to read. Every kid is different, so I hope those kids are involved in tree climbing, building with Legos, mixing chemicals in the kitchen or practicing guitar instead. But books are always close to my heart.
When my new friend, Margaret, shared her new book with me, I told her I’d like to share it with you. It captures the tradition that has been such a part of our family life for 14 years.
Little Bunny’s Own Storybook recounts Little Bunny’s trips to the library in delightful verse for three to eight-year-olds. I applaud how it invites children to see the magic they can find in the library.
However, the library isn’t just a place for a field trip or rainy afternoon. Checking out books and reading them have a purpose beyond passing time.
Children are learning much more than phonics and grammar while reading. New worlds are opening up to them, and they are subconsciously adding new creative skills as they read about them.
Find out how Little Bunny practices creativity through what is initially a disappointment. When you read about how he reacts when he discovers the library is closed, you will know why this book’s message is so special to me.
Here is the personal review I left on Amazon for this book.
By Jennifer on January 2, 2017
Format: Paperback
As both a writer and a homeschooling mother of 4, I found this book delightful! The themes of creativity and literacy are those I definitely want to promote to my children. I like the extra learning opportunities sprinkled in, such as teaching the days of the week and rhyming words, without the children even knowing they’re learning. I would highly recommend this as a book for preschoolers and early readers.
If you are looking for a new book to add to your young child’s library, I would highly recommend this one, While you’re at it, stop by Margaret’s site and find out more about her and her work.
Oh, and one more thing! Stop by your local library, bring home a pile of books and have a reading marathon with your little ones today. I always wish I’d read more, but I don’t regret one book I read to my preschoolers. A bonus is the extra cuddle time!
What are your favorite titles to read aloud to little ones?
Thank you so much, Jennifer!
What an interesting intro to your blog post, Jennifer! I have shared this lovely post on Facebook, Twitter and google+.