Book Worm

I love books. Some people have comfort food, I have comfort books. I love re-reading my old favorites and I love discovering new books. Books are woven into my memory as much as people. I remember my father reading The Berenstein Bears books to me long after I was able to read them to myself, but I liked the cadence of his voice. I remembering devouring The Baby-Sitters Club when I was a "tween" (although the word had not be coined at the time), and how my mom would bring me to the store whenever I finished one so I could purchase the next. The summer I read all of the Anne of Green Gables series I was 14, and--like the character I loved so much--I was freckly and likely to lapse into a day dream. And then there's the Harry Potter series--a set of books which I started reading in high school and finished reading as an engaged woman. My pre-ordered copy of the latest tale would arrive at my doorstep and I would read it straight through--skipping class, parties, calling in sick to work and staying up all night if I had to. When the final book of the series came out, Husband got me several liters of pepsi, my favorite take out and a bag of cookies, then sat up with me for the 13 hours it took me to get through it the first time. That's true love.

But I digress.

I especially love children's books. Whenever I'm in a bookstore or a library, I always visit the kid's section. Long before our little guy was even a notion in our heads, I would spend time in the children's section and occasionally even make a purchase. When I worked as a nanny, my favorite time of the day was always story time, and I never said no to "just one more". I have always believed that it is never too early to start reading to a child. I've been reading Winnie the Pooh to our little guy since before he technically had ears. I can't wait to share my love of reading with my son, and here are some of my all time favorites:

Amos: The Story of an Old Dog and his Couch by Susan Seligson: A story about a red dog who missed his owners so much when they went out that he figured out how to drive his couch ("vrrroooooom!") around town to follow them. Best description of rush hour traffic ever: "It was bumper to bumper to couch to bumper."

But Not the Hippopotomus by Susan Boynton: a beautifully simple and charming book about a little hippo trying to fit in. Your Personal Penguin is also a gem by this author.

The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter: I may have just liked this book because I love to say "Tiggy-Winkle".

The Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole: Ms. Frizzle was the teacher everyone wanted, and there's something to learn in each book about science.

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Suess: My all time favorite Dr. Suess book. I loved the animal noises and the rhymes.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Majery Williams: The classic story about a little boy who loved his stuffed bunny so much, it made him real. I had this on tape when I was little, and I listened to it so many times I could recite it by heart.

I could go on forever--The Chronicles of Narnia, anything by Beverly Cleary or poetry by Shel Silverstein--but I'll stop here. I just can't wait to wrap my son up in a soft blanket, settle into our rocking chair, and tell him my favorite stories. "There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning, he was really splendid. His coat was spotted brown and white, and he had real thread whiskers..."