Monday, April 18, 2011

Adding to the Library

I love books. I always have, and I think that's in part due to my mom. One of my favorite things to do in the summer was to go with her to the library and fill up a huge bag with books to read. It was bliss!

It's no wonder that as I begin preparing to be a mom, one of the first things I'm buying is books. It's also about the ONLY thing I can buy because I don't know how big our kids will be when we get them, or what gender they will be, so clothes, shoes, diapers, cribs, etc. are all out of the question at this point! It's okay though, I don't have a problem buying books! :)

I went with a friend to a kids consignment sale yesterday and found some real steals! It was half-price day, so I paid between $0.25-$1.50 per book. I got six!

Here's a picture of the books I got:


I purchased:
City Patterns by Nathan Olson
Going to Sleep on the Farm by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington by Frances E. Ruffin
Fidgety Fish and Friends by Paul Bright
Whoever You Are by Mem Fox (a READING RAINBOW BOOK!)
Flower Girl Butterflies by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

I am trying to be very intentional with my book purchases, and I always make sure to read them all the way through to ensure the messages they are giving are ones I want my kids to hear. As an adult, I'm amazed at how some books just don't go anywhere. I want my kids to have entertaining books, but those books should also have a clear message and purpose. If you haven't read my previous post on the things I learned about stereotypes in Children's Literature, make sure to check it out here.

One of my favorite books that I purchased yesterday is "Flower Girl Butterflies." My friend Anne actually found it first and showed it to me. I love it because the main character, Sarah, is black. It has been very difficult for me to find books in which the main character is black. However, it's not a book about her being black, it's a book about her being the flower girl in her Aunt Robin's wedding. She's nervous. She's nervous about everyone looking at her, she's scared to forget what she is supposed to be doing or trip while she's walking down the aisle. It's a simply fantastic book that addresses fears girls might have if they are a flower girl in a wedding. So much more goes on in the story and I don't want to give it all away, but it is a very well-written book and the pictures are beautiful. I am including my two favorite pictures here:





My second favorite book is "Whoever You Are" and I love it because it talks about how all of us around the world are different from one another, but we also have many things in common like joys, love, pain, smiles, and hearts. What a message of unity!



I also really dig the Martin Luther King, Jr. book. The illustrations are actual photographs and painted pictures. It serves as a history book of sorts that explains civil rights in kids' terms. I think it will be a great talking point for me and my children.

I'm excited to add these books to the collection and someday spend hours reading them with my children before bed, on a blanket in the grass, or in homemade forts. There is much to look forward to!

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