This Week's Reading List...

Several more nice things about our new library routine:
1) I am not only learning the library filing system, but also getting familiar with lots of children's book authors and classic, "must-read" books. It's fun!
2) I'm "previewing" all these books (instead of just buying like I used to) and keeping track of our favorites with an Amazon wish list. That way, whenever I (or anyone else) need a gift idea for the kids, I have a running list of books I already know Will likes.
3) Will and I talk a lot on the way to and from the library. When it's just us in the car (which is rare) we have a lot of good coversation!

Here's some of our favorite books that I've added to the Amazon wish list:
1) Are You My Mother? - (we really like P.D. Eastman)
2) The Very Busy Spider
3) Llama, Llama books
4) Blueberries for Sal - (this one is probably the most talked about since returning it)
5) Is Your Mama a Llama?
And Will has a birthday coming up, so this will come in handy!

This week at the library, Will enjoyed returning our previous books in the return slot again, watching me look up a book in the online directory, playing with a few toys in the library and browsing a few board books while I hunted for new ones. Then he learned what a bar code looks like and helped me scan all our books at the check out.

Here's what we checked out this week:
1) Cars! Cars! Cars! by Grace MacCarone - Will picked this one on his own and it's very similar to Go, Dog! Go! He loves it.
2) The Three Little Pigs by Timothy Donehoo
3) Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw - a little dull... everything rhymes with sheep and Jeep.
4) The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman - another good one.
5) Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett - one of Will's top 3 this week... Jan Brett is fabulous.
6) Over in the Meadow by Louise Voce - I really like this one. I always dig the cute rhymey books.
7) Cock-a-doodle Quack! Quack! by Ivor Baddiel & Sophie Jubb - this was a last minute grab from the display shelf at the library... and it was a good thing we did! Definitely Will's #1 choice this week and definitely added to the wish list. Very cute and funny.
8) Time for Bed by Mem Fox - I think this will gradually grow on Will to become a favorite. If it weren't for #7 and #5 being read first, this probably would have been his favorite. It's full of animals and a good bedtime read. I think I'll put this on the wish list too - maybe a board book copy. It's a quick read so it'll be good for Sophie.

We usually read ALL our books several times throughout the weekend and then each night before bed on week nights. It's amazing how much he picks up and remembers about these books. He still talks about Sal dropping the blueberries in the pail and says "kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk". Or when we were shopping for new shoes on Sunday evening, I reminded him that if he can be patient and cooperate like Llama, Llama (in the Mad at Mama book), we'll be done shopping sooner. He can finish lines for you if you pause mid sentence in any given book by the second or third time through and he LOVES it if you let him finish the last words of a rhyming book (each line).

We have a SUPER busy day next Saturday, so we'll see if we get to make our trip out. I'll miss it if we don't.