I’ve written before about my propensity to collect things. Things such as my large collection of body lotions and perfumes. Or my ever-expanding bag of eyeshadows, lip glosses, and compacts. I’ve even collected stacks of home store catalogs and architectural magazines. But all of these things have been cast aside for my new love. (Okay, maybe not the lotions, I still use those. Or the makeup. But I digress…)
My new obsession, if you want to call it that, is collecting books. And not just any books, but children books. I’m sure you can understand why. Do you know any “trying-to-get-pregnant” woman who can walk into a kids store and not buy something? Some people start buying little baby shoes and others start picking up outfits when they go on sale.
I buy children’s books.
So far, my collection consists of the following:
Good Night Moon. A timeless classic and one that holds great sentimental significance for me too. I can still, 30 years after the fact, hear the sound of my grandmother’s voice as she read it to me. This book is a must for any serious collector.
Another must, and one again from my own childhood, is this:
Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak. It’s funny to look at this book now and wonder how on earth I wasn’t scared silly when I read it as a child. But I wasn’t and I loved it. Still do.
Now on to books that are a little more recent:
Knuffle Bunny Too, by Mo Willems. Now I admit, the reason I was first drawn to this book was that it had a stuffed animal. (One that looks a lot cuter in person; this picture doesn’t do it justice.)
I bought it at a store that was going out of business and since it was on sale, I figured “why not?” And when I read the book, I fell in love with it. Now the bunny sits on my closet shelf just waiting for the time when our baby’s sweet little hands will hold on to it while I read the story out loud.
Also on that shelf is another stuffed animal that I couldn’t resist. This, too, is a character by Mo Willems called Elephant and Piggie.
Adorable aren’t they? And they match a whole series of books with titles such as
Are You Ready to Play Outside? and
I Will Surprise My Friend. I haven’t actually bought any of the books yet, just the stuffed animals, but the matching books are on my list.
And lastly, another classic, one that might have to be read when our little one is a tad bit older, but one that is enjoyable nonetheless:
The Little Prince or Le Petit Prince, depending on the language you prefer. I remember reading this in high school and I’ve loved it ever since.
As you can see, my collection isn’t very big yet. I prefer the nice hardback books and they’re a little pricey so I have to go slow. But eventually I plan on adding some Richard Scarry,
and of course Babar the Elephant.
I also want to add some new classics such as The Giving Tree,
and Love you Forever, a book that brings tears to my eyes every time.
So I have a ways to go until I get a complete collection, but it’s not a bad start.
And in honor of my growing collection, I’m going to give away a $30 gift card to Amazon so that you can start your own collection. (Don’t worry, if you already have enough books or if you don’t want books, you can use the gift card for anything you’d like.)
To enter, in the comment section answer the question: What book(s) should I add to my children’s book collection?
A winner will be drawn on Wednesday. Good luck! TIME’S UP!!
And the randomly selected winner is: R8chel!! Congratulations R8chel!
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