Happy Un-birthday!

"They gave it to me — for an un-birthday present."

"I beg your pardon?" Alice said with a puzzled air.

"I’m not offended," said Humpty Dumpty.

"I mean, what is an un-birthday present?"

"A present given when it isn’t your birthday, of course."

Alice considered a little. "I like birthday presents best," she said at last.

"You don’t know what you’re talking about!" cried Humpty Dumpty. "How many days are there in a year?"

"Three hundred and sixty-five," said Alice.

"And how many birthdays have you?"

"One."

"And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five, what remains?"

"Three hundred and sixty-four, of course."

~from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

 

Well, we are having a busy birthday/unbirthday weekend around these parts. My husband and my oldest share a birthday on Monday, and my baby, Vivian, turns two on Tuesday. So in addition to the regular busy-ness of basketball, soccer, and choir performances, this weekend has also featured an 11-year-old slumber party and a family gathering to celebrate the multitude of early-March birthdays. Good times!

 

Happy Sunday,

~Jen 

Valentine's Babylit Books

Before Vivy was born, I was in a bookstore with William. He was running an engine along a train table and my eyes were glancing over the shelves. And that's when I saw it: a Romeo & Juliet board book.

At the time, William was beyond board books, so I lamented that this gem wasn't available when my kids were tiny. Well, enter Vivy and an expansive line of Babylit books later, and we've now got ourselves quite a little collection going.

The Babylit series by Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver puts classic literature into the hands of toddlers. (Oh, how I wish these had been my brainchild! They are so fun.) With adorably contemporary artwork by Oliver, each book focuses on a theme of colors or opposites or numbers. And the selections pictured here are perfect for pulling out for Valentine's Day.

We own other non-romantic books from their line: The Wizard of Oz (colors), Alice in Wonderland (colors), and Frankenstein (body parts), to name a few. Babylit continues to put out new titles, and I NEED Vivy needs a copy of Les Mis. :) These also make fabulous baby shower or 1st/2nd birthday gifts.

Happy Friday!

Jennifer's Rabbit

"Jennifer's rabbit, brown and white,

Left the house and ran away one night,

Along with a turtle and a kangaroo,

And seventeen monkeys from the city zoo...

And Jennifer, too."

Jennifer's Rabbit is yet another family favorite and another that I was gifted from my sister. Written by Tom Paxton as a lullaby for his daughter, it was published in picture book format in 1988 by William Morrow & Co.

Jennifer dreams that she and a crew of animal companions have a nighttime adventure, visiting the "cookie crumb sands" and sailing with pirates on the "starlight sea." When the hour grows late, they decide to count all of the stars in the sky on their way back home.

This is a dreamy, whimsical story of a child's dream, and my kids -- even one-year-old Vivian -- have sat engaged by the beautiful words and illustrations. Paxton's use of rhyme and tempo is impressively done as the story reaches an exciting arc and then descends calmly and dreamily to urge the listening ear to bed.

My favorite edition of this book is the one pictured above, with illustrations by Donna Ayers. Ayers' full-page watercolor illustrations are the perfect companion for telling this enchanting story.

Enjoy!

~Jen

Babybug

When I was pregnant with my firstborn, my cousin Stacy gifted me a subscription to Babybug magazine. Have you heard of it?

Babybug is an award-winning magazine for babies and toddlers six months to three years old. Each issue is filled with stories, rhymes, photos and beautiful artwork that appeal to a very young child.



source

With words and pictures from a variety of authors and artists, the concepts are simple and relatable, and perfect for reading aloud by a parent or other caregiver.

Some of our favorite rhymes and knee-bouncers have come from the pages of Babybug, making story time an engaging and interactive experience.

I love our Babybugs. I saved all of Abby's and read them to William and now Vivian. Vivian now gets a subscription of her own, and we squeal when we open the mailbox and there is a new, happy, colorful issue waiting for us. A subscription for these books also makes a unique gift for a baby shower, birthday, or holiday.

Cricket Media, the publisher of Babybug, offers a variety of literary magazines for children of all ages. I encourage you to check them out!


 

I was not in any way paid for this blog post -- I just treasure these products and what they've meant to our family. I hope you will treasure them, too!

Brilliant Toddler Book

Vivy and I were recently at the library and she brought me a little board book that she found on the shelf. I opened it up and read it to her and was struck by how brilliant this book is.

Me and My Day by Liesbet Slegers

The words and pictures in this book are so simple, but they cover parts of the day that a toddler will easily recognize. Eating. Bathing. The high chair. A bottle.

She was SO interested! Each page in the book talks about something that a toddler can relate to, so they are immediately engaged.

Such a simple yet brilliant concept for engaging a very small child in a reading experience. I love reading this to her!

I highly recommend this relatable and appealing book for all those toddlers out there.

Happy reading!

~Jen

'Tis Christmastime

Good morning! Today, Vivian is sick, so we are holing up inside with lots of Christmas DVDs and schnuggling.

I'm excited to finally begin this blog that I have been dreaming of for a long time. To start, I wanted to share a lovely poem that I found today in a book of poetry that I was gifted from my late uncle. Perfect for this lovely season!

Christmas Everywhere

by Phillips Brooks (1835-1893)

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!
Christmas in lands of the fir-tree and pine,
Christmas in lands of the palm tree and vine,
Christmas where snow peaks stand solemn and white,
Christmas where cornfields stand sunny and bright.
Christmas where children are hopeful and gay,
Christmas where old men are patient and gray,
Christmas where peace, like a dove in his flight,
Broods o'er brave men in the thick of the fight;
Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

For the Christ-child who comes is the Master of all;
No palace too great; no cottage too small.


Merry Christmas!

~Jen