50 Awesome Children's Books for Young Readers

Right around the time I got my first job as a camp counselor, I started collecting children's books. I was 14 years old at the time. By the time I had Jackson in 2010, I had an impressive collection of children's books. I even asked my dad to build a bookshelf for Jackson that I designed. He did, and that's where we store all of our children's books.

So, it's safe to say that I LOVE children's books. I love everything about them. Especially the ones with great pictures, and rhyming words.

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." -Emilie Buchwald

We read to Jackson every single night before bed. It's something we all look forward to. & we all have our favorites and take turns picking books out. It's such a special family activity to us, and sends a great message to our son.

I have put together a list of must-reads for your young child.

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
2. Edwina the Dinosaur who didn't know she was Extinct by Mo Willems
3. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (And other Dr. Suess books) by Dr. Suess
4. My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis
5. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld
6.  Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri
7. Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
8. The Napping House by Audrey Wood
9. Moosetache by Margie Palatini
10. Llama Llama Red Pajama (And other Llama Llama books) by Anna Dewdney
11. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
12. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
13. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
14. We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Helen Oxenbury and Michael Rosen
15. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
16. This is your Hair By Tood Parr
17. HICCUPotomus by Aaron Zenz
18. Someday by Allison McGhee
19. Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Scott Magoon
20. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (And other If You Give... books) by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond
21. I'll See You In the Morning by Mike Jolley and Mique Moriuchi
22. Diary of a Worm (And other Diary of... books) by Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss
23. The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane Derolf and Michael Letzig
24. Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
25. Mrs.McBloom, Clean up your Classroom! by Kelly Di Pucchio and Guy Francis
26. Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm by joy Cowley and Elizabeth Fuller
27. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
28. Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne More
29. Corduroy by B.G. Hennesy and Jody Wheeler
30. Roadwork by Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock
31. Snowmen At Night (and other Snowmen books) by Caralyn Buehner and Mark Buehner
32. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram
33. The Goodnight Train by June Sobel and Laura Huliska-Beith
34. There's a Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz
33. Curious George by H.A. Rey
34. The Potty Train by David Hochman
35. How Do Dinosaurs Say I love You? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
36. Oh No, Little Dragon! by Jim Averbeck
37. The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman
38. God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren
39. On The Night That You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
40. Baby Beluga (And other Raffi books) by Raffi
41. What Makes a Rainbow? By Betty Ann Schwartz and Dona Turner
42. Hands Are Not For Hitting (And other books from the Best Behavior Series) by Maritne Agassi Ph.D.
43. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
44. Willow by Denise Brennan-Nelson
45. Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
46. Bedtime is Cancelled by Cece Meng and Aurelie Neyret
47. Hippopotamus Stew by Joan Horton and JoAnn Adinolfi
48. Stone Soup by Ann Mcgovern and Winslow Pinney Pels
49. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
50. Little Blue Truck by Alice Achertle and Jill McElmurry

So, go check some books out at the library, or order them from amazon.com! Books ALWAYS make great gifts! As always, read, read, read!

Also, which books from this list are your favorites? What are your favorite children's books not on this list? We are always searching for new books! Please share!

Boo Boo Bag Sewing Tutorial

While stocking my online shop, I decided to add one of our family favorites. Then I decided why not make a tutorial out of it?...

I made a few of these when our son was little and just starting to wobble around, getting little bumps and bruises multiple times a day. They are perfect because they are super soft, and flexible, AND they can be used hot or cold- like an ice pack, or a heat pack! My son loves his, and I've used them a few times too! We keep them in the freezer for those unavoidable bumps and falls. But they can easily be heated in the microwave for a few seconds if you need a little hot pack. (Just stick a small cup of water next to the bags in the microwave to prevent the microwave from drying out.) They are filled with rice, so they are completely safe too. (*Disclaimer: The small pieces that are inside this bag may cause a choking hazard. I do not recommend leaving young children alone with these in case of breakage.)

I've also been known to heat up a couple of them in the winter to use as hand warmers! Just stick them in your pockets, or inside your mittens to keep your hands toasty + warm! The kids think these are so fun! Everyone at the bus stop will want a pair!

These little bags are even great for games. They can be used just like bean bags! So versatile!

Looking for an easy beginner sewing project? This is a quick instant gratification project! And if you're not up for making them yourself, you can find them in my shop, here. (Set to open on July 18, 2013).

So, let's get started:

You'll need:

- fabric scraps (I like to use flannel, or even fleece for this project for softness, but cotton would work too)

- rice

- a sewing machine

- scissors

- thread

- ruler

First, you'll want to measure and cut your pieces. I used 3 inch by 4 inch rectangles for my project. You can play around with a size that fits your needs. I like the smaller sizes because they are perfect for little hands, and they fit nicely in my pockets if I'm using them as hand warmers.

Next, place right sides together and sew all the way around using about a 1/4 inch sewing allowance. Make sure to leave a small section open for turning! I usually start about an inch before one corner, and end 1 or 1 1/2 inches away from where I started, leaving a nice gap.

Clip the corners, trim the edges to remove bulk, and turn right side out.

Fill bag about 3/4 of the way full with rice.

Then fold edges in, and sew opening closed. I just use my sewing machine, but for a nicer closing finish you could hand sew it closed. Clip thread, and you're finished!

Enjoy!

Let me know what you think of your Boo Boo Bags, and my tutorial! 

xxxx

Elizabeth