some of our favourite books

I thought it would be nice to do a post on some of our favourite books that we are reading these days. I should just put it out there. I have a deep love for children's books, especially ones with beautiful illustrations. Vintage, new, board, mini, seasonal, you name it... I love children's books.
It's amazing how having a book from my childhood can take me back to my earliest memories. If there is one thing that my mother did for me that was good (she did many I should add), it was reading to me.  My mother was a children's librarian when I was a little girl, and her boss (my Godmother Doris- now passed on) allowed my mother to bring me to work with her. I have such special memories of sitting in the windows at the library, exploring the building, reading books, and doing crafts there. I think this is where my love for children's books started. And so, you can probably understand why I love sharing books with Noah and Katia so much.
I'm just going to start with books that are on heavy rotation these days. They don't have much of a consistent theme to them. At certain times of the year or during a holiday season, I do like to read seasonal books (we've been building up a good winter collection), but for now, these are just some favourites.

Right now we are enjoying:

Books by author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler. They are the team behind The Gruffalo, The Monkey Puzzle and a new favorourite, The Snail and the Whale.
We love the fun rhymes, the pictures and the nice stories.

The ABCs of Yoga for Kids by author Teresa Power and illustrator Kathleen Rietz.
This was one of the "wild cards" that I bought and am so happy that I did. I'll admit it, I bought it entirely for the illustrations. Noah likes to do yoga (on his own terms), and so I bought this book for him and I to read together. We read a page or two a day and do the poses together on the floor at bedtime or in the morning. Like I said, I just love the illustrations in this book. They are sweet, magical and beautiful.

Some childhood favourites of mine that are now being read to Noah:

Little Bunny Follows His Nose by author Katherine Howard and illustrator J.P. Miller
A fun tale about a little bunny who is sent outside by his mama to entertain himself. She tells him to follow his nose, and his nose takes him on a yummy smelling adventure. This is a scratch and sniff book that is still being published (I had it as a little girl) and Noah loves it.

Bread and Jam for Frances  by author Russell Hoban
This was one of my very favourite books when I was growing up. The story tells the tale of Frances and how she will only eat one thing-bread and jam. In the end she learns that it can get very boring when you only eat one thing and she decides to try some of the other delicious food that is presented to her. My very favourite part is when she is eating lunch at school. Her lunch is very sophisticated for a little girl... a lobster sandwich, a thermos of tomato soup, a cup of pudding... oh my, it's making me hungry!

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein 
We enjoy picking out one or two of these crazy silly poems at bedtime. Some of them are a bit crude, so I skip over those ones.

And some of Katia's current favourites:

Spring by author/illustrator Gerda Muller
A lovely simple picture book depicting different images of Springtime.

Good Night Gorilla  by author/illustrator Peggy Rathmann
A sweet picture book where the animals from the zoo follow their beloved zookeeper home for the night.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar  by Eric Carle
A classic. You know the story.

And some of my favourites:

The Swing by author Louis Stevenson and illustrator Julie Morstad (check out this sweet book promo here)
This was one of my favourite poems as a little girl and I just adore Julie Morstad's illustrations in this book.


Five Minutes' Peace by author/illustrator Jill Murphy
Poor Mrs. Elephant just needs a quiet moment to herself. If you are a mama and have ever had to resort to escaping to the bathroom just to get a moment to yourself, then you will love this book.

A Merry Mouse Book of Favorite Poems selected and illustrated by Priscilla Hillman (no longer in print). I bought mine from Amazon.com I think.
This was one of my favourite books as a little girl and I was thrilled when I found it online, so I bought it for myself. It has favourite poems in it like The Swing as well as one called Down Raspberry Lane and The Cupboard. I just love the beautiful illustrations (all animals). This is one of my very favourites.

There you go! Just a few of our favourites around here. We actually have many more. I'll save that for next time.
I know this kind of goes without saying, but isn't it just so lovely to cozy up on the couch with a blanket, your sweet little one and read a favourite book? I think so.
xox