Goodnight Gorilla

My son has been pointing at the moon, balls, bananas, ducks, trains, dogs, cats and hats and approximating their names. He has also been developing a sly sense of humor. The combination of these things has made reading Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann quite fun.

A tired zookeeper goes about the zoo, saying goodnight to the lion, elephant, armadillo and others. Meanwhile, the gorilla has been following him and unlocking each animal from its cage. They all follow the zookeeper home, trying to settle down for the night in his bedroom until the zookeeper's wife notices the menagerie. Off they all go back to the zoo!

This book is really simple with few words, so it is all about noticing the details in the pictures. There is a moon on several of the pages, a balloon floats through a few of them, and a little mouse tugs along a banana throughout. One page is all black, splatted all over with the word bubbles "good night." The next page is all black except for two very round eyes. "Uh-oh" we say together and laugh.

Besides all of the pointing at animals and trying to find the banana and the moon on each page, the story taps into a level of humor that a 15-month-old can get. Plus the theme of wanting to snuggle up in the caretaker's bed instead of your own is one that, ahem, may resonate with our little guy.

Keeping Books Under Control

I love books and am thrilled that my son does too. We spend a lot of time reading, and he has his preferences that change from week to week. Some of the illustrations and pop-ups are truly works of art. The problem is that I want to keep the quantity contained to what fits on his shelves, and we have two languages worth of books to manage. Right now the shelves are filled, so each new book means weeding out the old.

Here are reasons I may weed out a book: 

•  Grammar errors (one book had an unacceptable lay/lie error) 
•  Unappealing art 
•  Questionable messages (e.g. showing people as stereotypes) 
•  Too young (he is only 15 months old and is already growing out of books) 
•  Too old (he is only 15 months old and isn’t really into books that are too wordy, aren’t board books, or aren’t pop-ups) 
• Wrong season (Christmas books got packed up with our Christmas decorations) 
•  Duplicate theme (we don’t need three books by the same publisher with similar photos of farm animals—he’s enjoyed them all, but no more room!) 
•  Poor condition

However, some books get a save and end up on our family bookshelf in the living room. Here are some reasons I might store a book on these shelves that are also tight on space: 

•  It is really a beautiful, classic book that I’d like to share with young guests 
•  It is an appealing book in French that he may enjoy in a few years (French books are harder to find and more expensive)

Knowing that I need to remove books when new ones comes in curbs my impulse book buying. Plus, there's always the library!

Christmas Gifts

Last year we didn't get any gifts for our then 2-month-old. He received plenty from grandparents, aunts, and uncles. And really, at that age, the gifts were for us. Who appreciates first Christmas ornaments and cute pajamas more than the parents?

This year, we've got a toddler, and even though he still doesn't know what Christmas is, we are thinking about building traditions that will last a lifetime. I would like Christmas gifts to be thoughtful and useful rather than stuff stuff stuff. I would like Christmas to be about joy, anticipation, and appreciation. I would like Christmas to ride the wave of gratitude that we get on Thanksgiving.

For fostering anticipation and appreciation, go to this post at the Frugal Girl blog. She suggests something she calls "strategic deprivation." Basically, meet the child's needs, but don't give them extras year round and then expect them to appreciate what they get for Christmas. Because being a good model is the best way to teach children positive behavior, I have also been practicing this for myself. About a month ago I ran out of the perfume I wear every day; instead of buying some for myself right away, I've done without and asked my husband for it for Christmas. This grants more meaning to something that is, after all, an extra. So, between our October birthdays and Christmas, no new extras unless they go under the tree!

We gave the topic some thought, and we've come up with this Christmas list for our little one: one very special pop-up book, a pair of pajamas, a warm hooded sweater, and dump truck that I know he will love. We'll see if we can maintain these categories for years to come: a special book, pajamas, something of good quality to wear, and a toy that he really really wants.

Interactive Books

Books that pop up, have flaps, or other fun things to touch are a good way to make reading time more interactive. They can also help teach concepts like "gentle" while developing object permanence and fine motor skills. Babies love them, parents love them!

Here are some interactive books that we have liked so far:

3-9 months

• My Little Sweetheart by Sara Gillingham
• Anything by Sara Gillingham and Lorena Siminovich--they have about a dozen books with built-in felt finger puppets
• Anything by DK Baby Touch and Feel--they have chunky books on every topic, from bunnies to tractors

6-12 months

• Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell--different flaps reveal various inappropriate pet options
• Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt--this book is a classic for a reason!
• Little Black Book by Renee Khatami--lots to touch with velvet, scratch and sniff, whiskers

 9-12 + months

• Heads by Mathew Van Fleet--a very sturdy book with lovely pictures and fun pull-tabs
• Alphabugs or any book by David A. Carter--26 interactive pages!
• Gossip or any book by Jan Pienkowski--these pop-up books are super 3D

Favorite Books at One Year

At almost 3 months we started reading with him.

My son loves books and reading time is filled with pointing, chatting, and cuddling. To keep our shelves pared down and to keep things fresh, we have an active collection of books and an on-hold collection. Once a week I introduce four books from the on-hold collection and he chooses one to add to the active collection. It's fun to see his tastes change. Sometimes he has absolutely no interest in a book, and then it becomes his favorite two months later. Other books he loves week after week, month after month.

At one year, board books still are best for him to be able to turn the pages. The art work and any interactivity are more important than wordiness.

These are my son's current favorite books in English:
1. Heads, by Matthew Van Fleet
2. You and Me, Baby, by Lynn Reiser & Penny Gentieu
3. Animal Orchestra, by Ilo Orleans & Tibor Gergely
4. Let's Play, by Gyo Fujikawa
5. Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb, by Al Perkins & Eric Gurney
6. I Am a Bunny, by Richard Scarry
7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle
8. Busy Barnyard, by John Schindel
9. Mog and Me, by Judith Kerr
10. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, by Eileen Christelow

The Very Busy Spider

Orb spiders are weaving their webs around our yard, setting up sticky nets with silver dollar sized arachnids to avoid. My son has been interested in spider watching, so a good thematic book for the season is EricCarle’s The Very Busy Spider.

The Very Busy Spider builds upon a common board book schema of introducing various farm animals and their sounds. Added to this is a story about a spider who cannot play with a line-up of barnyard friends because she is too busy quietly building her web. This industrious protagonist ultimately (spoiler alert! ) reaches her goal, catches a pesky fly, and rests peacefully after a job well done.

Like many other Carle books, this one stands out because of its tactile engagement—the spider web and fly wings are raised. However, the third dimension is subtle; even though I model rubbing the page, my son still has not copied me. He does enjoy and respond to the art and the animal sounds that I make. But given our current eight-legged neighbors, the book’s biggest draw is the intriguing big spider on every page, weaving her web a few silk strings at a time.