Baby – Page 2 – Unleashing Readers

Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Books: Nine to Twelve Months

February 14, 2021February 25, 2015 by Kellee

This has been such a wonderful year! Being a mom has changed my view of the world and made me think about my place in the world; however, watching my son grow has been the most amazing thing in the world, and I have loved sharing all of the things I love about my son and being a mom.

My favorite thing to share with you all, though, is all of the amazing books Trent and I read. Check out our 0-3 month post, 3-6 month post, and 6-9 month post. Today I wanted to do an overview of Trent’s favorite books over the first year. Although there are so many wonderful books we read over this first year, these are the ones that we find ourselves reading over and over (includes primarily board books because those are easier for Trent to manipulate and sturdier so there is no tearing). To see all that we’ve read and see all of my ratings, check out my Goodreads shelf.

Trent’s Favorite Books
These are the books that Trent will dig through a pile to find when it is time to read.

Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton
This book will help Trent with both animals and counting. Also, it has a super fun song that goes along with the book which makes it so much fun to read!

Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton
I love this book! It is super cute, about an unusual friendship, and also has a great song (sung by Davey Jones).

Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin
Pete is probably Trent’s favorite! As we read, he points at Pete and is mesmorized for the whole book. It also has a fun song (see a trend?!?!).

If I Were a Penguin… by Anne Wilkinson
This book takes us through characteristics of penguins and is a touch-and-feel book. Trent has a favorite page in this book that he’ll open up to and just rub the penguin’s wing and stare at the page for minutes.

Other Favorite Books
There’s a chance Trent will pick these too!

Kiss Kiss Good Night by Ken Kesbitt
This is probably Jim’s favorite book to read to Trent at bedtime. It is a very sweet bedtime story with animals.

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
A classic! We love watching the You Tube video that reads the story with us as well as reading the board book. This was the first book that Trent took with him in place of a toy then read in the back seat as I drove him to daycare. This warmed my heart.

Five Black Cats by Patricia Hegarty
This Halloween story is more about some rambunctious black cats. The prose is so much fun to read and the pictures are colorful which holds Trent’s attention.

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (Sound Book) by Sherri Duskey Rinker
I love this story filled with goodnights to our favorite construction machines, and I think the sound makes it even better! The rhyming story with the sounds makes it a wonderful bedtime story.

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na
This beautiful look at animals’ bedtime has such amazing artwork. Trent and I love to look at the different animals.

Go, Train, Go! by Wilbert Awdry
Such a fun Thomas the Train story. This is one that Trent has just started picking up often. We’ll have to see what happens!

I so look forward to seeing what books Trent loves over the next year!
What books should I make sure we get to?

Please also check out the video I made of photos of all 300+ books we read with him in his first year: “A First Year Full of Books”!

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday by Jane Yolen (& Can You Believe Trent is ONE?!)

February 14, 2021February 20, 2015 by Kellee

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday?
Author: Jane Yolen
Illustrator: Mark Teague
Published September 1st, 2011 by The Blue Sky Press

Goodreads Summary: Everyone has a birthday, and from riotous birthday parties to the excitement of being one year older, having a birthday is the highlight of a young child’s year.

All little dinosaurs love to get presents, and this new board book will be an immediate favorite. From birthday hats to Ceratosaurus-sized cakes, America’s young readers will laugh out loud as the celebration moves from “bad” birthday behavior to just the right amount of silliness and sharing. Bestselling duo Jane Yolen and Mark Teague have created the perfect introduction to birthday parties, with the same beloved humor and warmth of all their previous bestselling “How Do Dinosaurs” books.

Here’s a wonderful way to say “Happy Birthday!” to any dinosaur…young or old!

My Review: I bought this book to read to Trent on every birthday, and I cannot believe that today is the first one! I decided that this was the perfect birthday book because it is super fun to read, has great dino illustrations by Mark Teague who is such a great artist, and it even teaches a nice message that will be a perfect reminder at each birthday. I am so excited to share it with him for the first time today (and his 1st birthday party is dino themed, so it’s perfect!). Which brings me back to…

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT TRENT IS ONE?!?!

This year has gone by super quickly. To commemorate, I wanted to share some of my favorite things about Trent and being a mom:

1) Trent likes books. I was so worried that I would read to him every day and that it would never lead to Trent liking books; however, that is not the case! He likes to grab his favorites (Pete the Cat, Fifteen Animals, and Personal Penguin) and flip through them or have us read to him. He’s even chosen books a few times as his toy to bring to the car on the way to daycare. I love listening to him in the back seat “reading” to himself.

2) Trent laughs with his whole self. I love when he laughs. He is a full body laugher, and it just fills his whole self and the whole room. And he does that thing where your laugh isn’t just on the exhale, it is on the inhale too. So great!

3) Trent is a super chill, super happy baby. Of course he has his melt downs, he cries when he doesn’t like something, and he cries when he’s tired/hungry/waking up; however, for the most part he is a super chill, super happy baby. His demeanor and attitude make me so proud!

4) Trent loves pop punk, dream pop, the Beatles/”Across the Universe” soundtrack, and the Snoopy song. He loves to listen to music. Trent dancing is SUPER adorable. He kind of shakes his hips and moves back and forth. It is so cute! Also, if he is upset, pop punk music surprisingly calms him down. I really think he likes all music, but these are the ones that he seems to enjoy the most.

5) The way he looks at me. Wow. That way that he looks at me is a look that could melt anyone’s heart. I knew how to love before, but this is a different type of love. It is a love that fills me up and makes me complete.

6) The way he looks at Jim. The whole son/dad thing is just the best ever. I love spying on them and watching them be so cute.

7) Watching him learn. To think that a year ago he was born and couldn’t do anything but poop, pee, and eat, and now he walks, talks, learns, etc. is just the most amazing thing in the entire world. My favorite things he’s learned recently are: how to play by himself, sign language for more, how to turn the propellers on his helicopter, pointing, and the SO BIG game.

8) Everything. I just had to cover my bases in case I forgot something 🙂

Being a mom may just be the coolest thing ever!

Happy birthday Trent! I love you!

Books Trent Got For Christmas

February 14, 2021January 9, 2015 by Kellee

No one would probably be surprised to hear that Trent got an actual box full of books for Christmas. I want him to grow up around books and reading and readers because I know how important it is for development, a love of reading, and overall long-term intelligence. This means that most Christmases Trent will find many books under the tree. This year, I wanted to share with you the books that Trent received from me and my family.

Books I got for Trent at NCTE/ALAN (SIGNED!)

I think this is one of the most clever books ever written. I was so happy to be able to get it signed by Jon Sciezska.

0-545-14314-4
I love Jane Yolen. And I want Trent to love dinosaurs. And I love this series. A perfect combination. I was so honored to meet Jane Yolen and get her to sign books for Trent.

I actually had this book at home, but when I heard Jane Yolen and Melissa Sweet would both be at NCTE, I knew I had to bring it and get it signed by both. It is a sweet book about loving books.

This is one of my favorite nonfiction picture books I have ever read. I am glad I could get it signed for Trent and that I will be able to share it with him when he gets older.

I loved Invisible Boy and although this is different, I knew I had to get it for Trent (and me!). I also had a wonderful conversation with Tracy Ludwig at NCTE.

Other Books I got for Trent

I think every person should own/read this book, so I had to get it for Trent.

Jen Vincent always told me how much her sons loved this book, so I knew Trent would like it as well.

Such a wonderful book; I was surprised I didn’t own it already!

Bob Dylan is very important in our home, so I am making sure that Trent has all of Bob’s picture books.

We need to own more Mo!

birds
Trent loves watching birds, so I though this book would be a fun one for him.

Kadir Nelson. That is all.

ogre
I really liked funny poems when I was younger, so when I saw these at the Scholastic Warehouse Sale, I snatched them up for Trent.

Nonfiction is important! I chose these two because Knut is so cute (though his story is sad), and Steve Jenkins is brilliant.

This was a set of sports board books and since we watch a lot of sports in the Moye house, I thought they were a good intro.

My mom is a huge Peanuts and Scanimation fan, so I thought this would be a fun book to own.

Books my Family Gave Trent

Books my Friends Gave Trent

Books from Kohl’s Cares
We’re suckers for Pixar and Disney 🙂 And it is for a good cause!

I am so lucky to have a son who likes books and family and friends that help grow his library!

What books did you receive/give for Christmas?

Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Picture Books: Six to Nine Months

February 14, 2021November 21, 2014 by Kellee

I CANNOT believe that my baby boy is already 9 months old (as of yesterday)! He is growing so quickly and is such an awesome little kid. We have continued reading as close to a book a day as possible and we are currently at 230 books! He’s been alive 264 days so if you count rereads we are pretty close to a book a day.

I will say that a 9 month old is much harder to get to sit down and read a book than a 3 month old! Also, over these 3 months, we focused on doing a lot of rereads because I felt we were rushing too much through books and not finding favorites. Because of these factors, we only read 59 different books over these 3 months vs. 91 during 0-3 months and 92 during 3-6 months.

Today, I wanted to share some of our 20 favorite books that we’ve read over the last 3 months. I did not include any rereads on the list because our favorites had already been mentioned on our past lists: 0-3 months & 3-6 months.

1. Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton

This is probably our favorite. It has a song of it sung by Davey Jones, and we follow along as we listen to the song. It is our go-to book right now.

2. Mini Myths by Joan Holub

I love that Joan Holub is turning myths into board books! They aren’t very detailed, but they give basic information about the myth and teach a lesson.

3. Swing! and Waddle! by Rufus Butler Seder

Scanimation illustrations mesmerize Trent, and with the rhyming text, these books are so entertaining to read.

4. Five Black Cats by Patricia Hegarty

Trent really enjoyed this book. I think it is the rhythm of the rhyming prose mixed with the colorful illustrations.
(Fun side note: When we first picked this up to read, Jim said, “Let’s read Five Black Cats.” Then Trent responded with something that sounded very much like “Fie Back Cats.” Probably a coincidence, but it was awesome!)

5. Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

I couldn’t believe I’d never read this book before! And I love that my husband pointed out the nuance that is the mouse in the book. He made me love it even more, and the simple story with strong illustrations holds Trent’s attention.

6. You Are My Work of Art by Sue DiCicco

Such a sweet, sweet, sweet message AND it is told using classic works of art. This book is right up our alley!

7. Big Bug by Henry Cole

This is a great book about perspective. This is a tough concept to teach, so Cole’s book will be great to help share it with Trent.

8. Books Always Everywhere by Jane Blatt

Loved the promotion of reading a books with little ones in this book.

9. Up Close by Gay Wegerif

This book teaches shapes, colors, and animals! Win!

10. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

A classic with such a sweet message about mothers’ true love.

11. Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

I remember reading this book as a child, but I hadn’t remembered how good it was. It is a story of true friendship and perseverance.

12. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

I have found that sometimes when I read a Dr. Seuss book with Trent, it doesn’t live up to my memory of the book; however, this one did! The rhymes and realization at the end are just done so well.

13. Kiss, Kiss Good Night by Ken Kesbitt

A sweet bedtime book with mom animals saying goodnight to their sweet babies.

14. Bob the Dog by Rodrigo Folgueira

Although the lesson at the end of the book was blatant, the illustrations, humor, and crazy characters makes this a new favorite for us.

15. Antic! by Cathi Hepworth

This is an ABC book like no other I’ve ever read. The inclusion of ANT in each word made it so the author had to stretch a bit, but the stretching what made it so the author had to be creative. There are some phenomenal words in this book.

16. This Moose Belongs to Me! by Oliver Jeffers

My husband read this book to Trent and it made us both laugh out loud. Another brilliant book from Oliver Jeffers.

17. Oliver by Birgitta Sif

I love the lesson that is taught in this one. It is one I look forward to reading to Trent when he gets older.

18. Pardon Me! by Daniel Miyares

Um, the ending!

19. The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett

The illustrations are perfection and mixed with the sweet story of a kind girl make me read this to Trent multiple times (and since it didn’t have any words, I was able to change up the story each time!).

20. Thomas the Tank Engine: Shapes and Sizes by Wilbert Awdry

This is one of Trent’s favorite books. It is the one he pulls off the shelf (and usually puts straight in his mouth).

Almost. Baby Beluga by Raffi

I LOVED this song when I was a kid! When I read this to Trent, I pull up a You Tube video of Raffi singing, and we follow along. The book would have made the list, not been honorary, because we like the song and book; however, the ecology just isn’t correct…

What books should Trent read in the next 3 months?

Ricki and Henry’s Favorite Children’s Books (6-12 months)

November 15, 2015November 20, 2014 by Ricki

Every six months, I make an attempt to pick out the top ten picture books that Henry and I read together. This is incredibly difficult because we read so many fantastic books. But I understand, as a mom with a limited budget, that other parents may appreciate a list. We usually plow through library books and buy our favorites. Each of the books listed below is worthy of purchasing! With the holidays near, I recommend each of these. I am excluding my favorite books from our first top ten list (birth to six months). As I described in the first post, Henry, his dad, and I read books together every night, and we are excited to share these great books with all of you! They are in no particular order.

1. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

If you follow this blog, you know it is a tradition in our house to read this book every night. Henry is in love with it. His dad and I have the book memorized, and it has become our favorite. The way he reacts to each page and touches the red balloon and stars makes our hearts swell.

2. Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles

This lyrical book moved me. It is worthy of the praise it has received and may be one of the best picture books I have ever read. I was inspired to read it after A.S. King discussed it in her article of The ALAN Review. This is a wonderful text is for people of all ages. I put it on Henry’s birthday wish list.

3. Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters by Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers is, in my humble opinion, one of the best picture book authors writing today. He breaks the rules and displays his quirky, clever humor in each of his books. This is a great book to teach the alphabet to kids. Each letter has a silly short story, and several of the short stories are connected. This book made me laugh a lot, and Henry seemed to enjoy it, too!

4. Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins (Linked to a Review by Kellee)

This nonfiction picture book tells the beautiful story of a remarkable woman, Kate Sessions, who brought trees to San Diego. The book is inspirational, and the illustrations are absolutely stunning. I intend to read many books about powerful women to Henry. 🙂

5. The Noisy Paint Box by Robert Munsch (Linked to a Review by Kellee)

This is a magical picture book that is well worth the hype it is receiving. It teaches about synesthesia and Kandinsky’s childhood. It made me want to get out my paint box to listen to the sounds of the paint. After learning about his life, I will be buying a Kandinsky print!

6. The Magic of Maxwell and His Tail by Maureen Stolar Kanefield

This is precisely the kind of book that I want to read to my son. It teaches him that it is only okay to be different, but that he can use his differences in ways that make him special. I adored this book and will certainly read it to him again and again.

7. Buddy and the Bunnies: Don’t Play with Your Food by Bob Shea

I absolutely adored this silly, fun story of a group of bunnies who fool a monster to prevent him from eating them. Bob Shea is an incredible storyteller, and this book reminded me of the trickster stories my grandfather used to tell me as a child.

8. The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty

I wish I had thought of the idea behind this book! It is a great story for bedtime, and Henry was drawn into the magical illustrations and rhyming language.

9. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

As one of the most censored books, you would expect this to be very controversial (rather than a true story about two penguins). I have always longed to read this book, and after reading it with Henry, I was surprised by how innocent and very well-written it is. I guess people like to challenge…the truth? Either way, censorship aside, this book is an excellent work of nonfiction that I highly recommend. I would use it to teach the value of family, but I guess I am a risk-taker. ::wink:

10. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Months after reading this book, I can still hear the “Whoo-whoo-whoo” of the owl and still feel the brisk, winter air. This text whisked us away into the setting, and it would be a great mentor text for teachers.

What are your favorite children’s books? Henry and I would love to reserve them from the library! Please share!

How Being a Mom Has Changed My Identity

October 12, 2015August 27, 2014 by Kellee

This post originally started with me wanting to write about reading time, but it has become so much more. By looking at how reading has changed in my life, it made me look at my life in general and how my identity is changing.

As a mom, I suddenly find my life turned upside down. Everyone warned me that when my little baby arrived, everything would change, but I thought, naively, that I was going to be that mom that could continue doing everything I did before AND be a fabulous mom. I pish-poshed everyone’s comments about how things would be different when I had the baby. But BOY were they right. Well… mostly.

Before Trent, I put almost all of my energy (outside of time spent with Jim) into education and reading (or blogging). I worked on PD, planning, or grading for probably 20+ hours a week at home. Any other free time I would read. My husband would go to bed, and I would read for hours. I was on Twitter all of the time talking to educators and authors. But it was all for me. I loved every minute of it because I love education and books so much. I prided myself in being knowledgeable–someone that other teachers could go to for help and guidance, and someone that could recommend books to ANYONE. I always had the newest books and knew about what was popular with teens/middle schoolers at all times. Because I love my profession so much, I made sure to put as much energy into being the best teacher I could be.

Things started to shift a bit when I was pregnant. I had a very hard time reading and thinking during the whole pregnancy. I was also very tired! I physically and mentally couldn’t put the energy into anything that I had before pregnancy. But I kept saying it would all come back when I had Trent.

And then my amazing son arrived. I cannot really explain the way that my mind has switched. I still love education. I would never imagine not being a teacher, but my heart and soul were stolen by this sweet, little boy. All of a sudden, I don’t want to do anything but be with him. All of the time. But there is a part of me that needs what I used to have. I need that identity next to being a mom. This is where the pull within me is happening. I am now a mom. But a mom that is an educator, professional, and reader. How do I balance all of this? Can I truly be all of them and put enough into each so that I am succeeding at all of them? As I get used to being back at work, I am seeing that the answer is YES, but it will be different than before.

It is going to be hard
I have to realize that it is going to take some time to figure this out and that it is going to be hard. Very hard. I may feel like I am not caught up with anything, but that it is okay. It will all work out. Eventually. I have to work really hard at not feeling guilty about these changes, and instead embrace the change.

Work is staying more at work
In the past, I could be reached at any time via email, but I have now taken my work email off of my phone. I also will not be able to stay at work until 5 or 6pm every day. That doesn’t mean I don’t care! It just means that I am needed at home, and when I am at home, I have to give time to my family. Now, if I do bring work home, it is going to have to happen after bedtime or on the weekends though this takes away from reading and blogging time.

Reading may have to be scheduled and may not happen
I have found myself going days without reading. On these days, I really missing reading. But I was finding days were just getting away from me. Because of this, I have talked to my husband about trying to make a schedule so that at least 4 days a week I will get time just to read. Although this isn’t daily like I had before motherhood, it is a positive start. This may mean that I don’t get to read as much as I used to, but at least it allows me to keep reading a priority in my life. But I have to realize that sometimes reading will have to be pushed to the side for family time or because of a sick kid or to do work. This is a hard realization, but it is the truth. As long as I consciously keep reading in my life, it will always be there.

Reading may look different
But I have to remember that I AM still reading every day, but my books of choice are now often picture books that I am reading to Trent. Before I used to look at books through the eyes of my students, but now I also look at books through the eyes of my son. I now not only want to keep up with books for YA and MG but for younger kids as well so that I know my son reads the best books. (Book shopping has just gotten a lot more expensive! Though, I have found a new love of the public library because of the price of picture books.)

It’s okay!!!
I just have to keep telling myself that I can still be a great mom and teacher and blogger and sister and daughter and…, but that it just might be different. I need to stop apologizing for how my life has changed. It is an amazing life, and I will continue to be able to do everything I love. And that, like Tim Gunn says, I’ll “make it work!”

Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Picture Books: Three to Six Months

February 14, 2021August 22, 2014 by Kellee

I am so proud to say that Trent already loves books! He grabs them from me, holds them, stares at them as we read, points at them, and overall enjoys our reading time. It is so special to me!

Through these three months, Trent and I have continued our picture #bookaday. So far we have read 182 titles (91 in the first 3 months then 91 these last three months)!!! Three months ago, I shared our favorites from those months, and today I am so happy to share our top fifteen favorites from these last three months with you.

Favorite Elephant & Piggie
We read a ton of Mo Willems books! I am such a fan! Though I love Pigeon, Cat the Cat, and Knuffle Bunny, E&P are still my favorite.

Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

Favorite Oliver Jeffers Books
We went on an Oliver Jeffers readathon, and these are our favorites that we read during these months (Lost and Found is probably still my favorite.) He is such a superb author!

Stuck and The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Favorite Dan Santat Illustrated Book
We also read a bunch of books that were illustrated by Dan Santat. He is so talented!

Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds

Favorite Bedtime Story
This book is beautiful! Lyrical and great artwork.

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

Funniest Book
Laugh out loud funny.

Naked by Michael Ian Black

Favorite “Full of Truth” Book
Giving Tree-esque, but without as much of the selfishness controversy aspect.

Stick Kid by Peter Holwitz

Favorite Repetitive Book
These will be so much fun to read aloud with Trent when he gets older!

Oh No! by Candace Fleming

Honorary: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
(I cannot get the song out of my head!)

Favorite Nonfiction Animal Book
Great photographs of these animals, and I liked that some lesser known animals were featured (Oh No! has some unique animals as well).

Baby Animals at Night by Kingfisher

Favorite Theme
Some things are more important than finishing first.

Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli

Favorite “I Love You” Book
So sweet!

Two Hands To Love You by Diane Adams

Favorite Cause-and-Effect Book
Laura Joffe Numeroff’s books are so quirky and funny!

If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff

A Kids’ Dream Come True Book
Well, an anyone dream come true book actually.

Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Favorite Art (& Color) Book
So happy that I got to read these to Trent at the Hunter Museum of Art. I love that these books teach color through pieces of art.

My First Palette: Six Little Books by The Metropolitan Museum of Art

There are some amazing picture books out there for children, and I am always learning about more that I want to read with Trent! What books should I make sure to read with him? I cannot wait to see what the next three months hold?!