Reading to newborns can be such a rewarding experience. A lot of bonding can happen during story time, even with the tiniest babies who are still a ways off from learning how to speak. Any book would work really, but some books are targeted more to the 0-6 month age group and where they are…
Babies (0 to 12 months)
10+ Of Our Favorite Books for 0 to 6 Month-Olds
10+ Of Our Favorite Books For 6 Month-Olds to 12 Month-Olds
Reading with babies that are 6 months-old to 12 months-old can be so much fun and there is a HUGE selection out there of fabulous books for this age group. They include everything form bright illustrations to touch-and-feel aspects that are wonderful. Below is a list of ten of our favorite books for this age…
5 Story Time Tips for 6 Month-Olds to 12 Month-Olds
I believe that it is never to early to start reading with your children. Children become readers on the laps of their parents and I really feel that a love of reading is contagious. If you are reading to your child from a young age and you let them know how much you love…
7 Tips For What Books to Read to 6 Month-Olds to 12 Month-Olds
I love this age for reading to babies because it is when reading is first starting to be more of an interactive experience. Don’t misunderstand me, I read books to my babies before they were 6 month’s old and I loved it. (Plus I think it’s important/beneficial to start right away.) However, at this age…
Building Your Baby’s First Library: Where to Start
When I found out that I was pregnant with my first child I was ecstatic. We felt so ready to start our family and I was anxious to begin preparations for welcoming our little bundle into our home. The first big shopping spree I went on for my baby when I was pregnant was for books. That’s…
Board Book Classics Every Baby Should Know
Board books are built sturdy for a reason. They need to be able to take a beating and they need to withstand being read again and again. That’s just how it is, with babies and toddler especially. Which is why it is always a good idea to have a board book classic or two on…
What Makes a Great Bedtime Story?
What Makes a Great Bedtime Story? Ah, bedtime. Just the word can strike fear in some moms hearts, or it can bring a feeling of peace. Depending on which aspects you think of. If your “bedtime hour” is anything like mine it starts off as anything but serene. Here is what it looks like at…
Toddlers (1 to 3 years-old)
Our 7 Favorite Tools and Tips for Teaching the Alphabet
Learning the alphabet is such an essential, foundational skill for early literacy with children. It is one of the very first steps to learning to read and with over 20 letters (and sounds) to teach your kids the task can seem daunting at first. I totally understand, I felt the same way. However, the good…
50 Creative & Simple Indoor Activity Ideas With a Printable!
As we head into the end of March it is looking like I may be spending a whole string of days all at home with my kiddos. Honestly, it presents it’s challenges with keeping them entertained, but I also see it as a wonderful bonding opportunity for us. To prepare and keep things inside fun…
5 Reasons Why Reading the Same Book Over and Over is a Good Thing
I have loved watching my kids fall in love with reading. I love watching them get excited about new books, beg for more story times and even fall head-over-heels for specific titles. It is so fun to see what books they get attached to and it always means lots and lots and lots of requested…
10+ Of Our Favorite Books for 2-3 Year Olds
I know that the age of 2 has a bit of a horrible reputation at times. (“Terrible Two’s” and all that.) But it is such a fun age in so many ways. In my experience, 2 year-olds have such an enthusiasm and energy for life and new discoveries that you can’t help but get excited…
10+ Of Our Favorite Books For 1 to 2 year-olds
These books are monumental in our home. We have read them about 800 billion times and each time my kids are delighted. The copies we have of them are incredibly well loved and even though my kids are a bit older now each one of these are all still favorites. We hope you enjoy them…
6 Tips for Choosing Books to Read To Toddlers (1 to 3 year-olds)
Toddlers are so much fun! Sure, they have big emotions and sometimes that results in big emotional outbursts. But, when you step back, those outbursts are kind of beautiful. They feel everything with their whole heart and wear it all on their sleeves. It is also a stage with huge amounts of curiosity as well…
8 Story Time Tips for Wiggly Toddlers
Story time is one of my favorite parts of the day! Especially the random ones that occur when my toddlers excitedly come up to me, book in tow. I love to cuddle up with them in our reading chair and enjoy our books together. It is a bonding experience that I will always treasure as…
5 Great Tips to Encourage Kids to Read in the Summer
Sunshine, popsicles, swimsuits, green grass, parks, camping and more. Yup, summertime is pretty glorious! However, lurking in the cool shadows of those beautifully leafy trees is a horrible danger. It is often referred to as the “summer slide”. No, this isn’t you typical slide found at a playground, what I am referring to is children…
Tips to Encourage Kids to Spend Time Reading
This post is sponsored by JORD Wood Watches Story time is one of my favorite parts of the day. It’s quiet time that I get to spend focused on my children one-on-one and is quite the bonding experience for us. I love how excited they get when they discover new favorites and I love that I…
What Makes a Great Bedtime Story?
What Makes a Great Bedtime Story? Ah, bedtime. Just the word can strike fear in some moms hearts, or it can bring a feeling of peace. Depending on which aspects you think of. If your “bedtime hour” is anything like mine it starts off as anything but serene. Here is what it looks like at…
Preschoolers (3 to 5 years-old)
Our 7 Favorite Tools and Tips for Teaching the Alphabet
Learning the alphabet is such an essential, foundational skill for early literacy with children. It is one of the very first steps to learning to read and with over 20 letters (and sounds) to teach your kids the task can seem daunting at first. I totally understand, I felt the same way. However, the good…
15+ of Our Favorite Alphabet Books
I love alphabet books, but let’s face it, they can be a little bland. That means that I am always on the lookout for alphabet books that incorporate fun features or implement a fun twist for teaching the ABC’s. Don’t get me wrong, I am still a fan of the more simple and traditional alphabet…
Chameleon Reader Review: Turn Any Book Into an Audio Book!
This post is sponsored by Chameleon Reader. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own. I am beyond excited to share this product with you! In fact, it’s been a while since I was this excited about a product. We are pretty much obsessed over here. It’s called Chameleon Reader and it is a kit/tool…
50 Creative & Simple Indoor Activity Ideas With a Printable!
As we head into the end of March it is looking like I may be spending a whole string of days all at home with my kiddos. Honestly, it presents it’s challenges with keeping them entertained, but I also see it as a wonderful bonding opportunity for us. To prepare and keep things inside fun…
5 Reasons Why Reading the Same Book Over and Over is a Good Thing
I have loved watching my kids fall in love with reading. I love watching them get excited about new books, beg for more story times and even fall head-over-heels for specific titles. It is so fun to see what books they get attached to and it always means lots and lots and lots of requested…
10+ of Our Favorite Books for 4 to 5 Year-Olds
This is the age that my little guy started to really enjoy nonfiction books and I was SO excited! A couple of his favorites made this list along with some other really fun interactive books as well as stories. These books are all so much fun for story time and are our go-to books that…
10+ of our Favorite Books for 3 to 4 year-olds.
I’m really excited to share this book list. The books that my kids love at this age are just so much fun and make the best read-alouds. Each one of these is a book that I honestly don’t mind reading aloud over and over again and I swear I love them just as much as…
6 Story Time Tips for Reading With Preschoolers
Story time with preschool age children is so essential not only because you are helping them become lifelong readers, but because they are absorbing so much information and they are preparing to learn to read. Below are a few simple tips that are meant to help you really utilize story time with your preschooler to…
7 Tips for Choosing Books for Preschoolers
I love the preschool stage! At this age kid’s attention spans are longer and their background knowledge more vast which really makes for some fun book selections that can be both longer and more informative/complex. It is a wonderful time to feed their curiosity with plenty of good books and enjoy bonding with them over…
5 Great Tips to Encourage Kids to Read in the Summer
Sunshine, popsicles, swimsuits, green grass, parks, camping and more. Yup, summertime is pretty glorious! However, lurking in the cool shadows of those beautifully leafy trees is a horrible danger. It is often referred to as the “summer slide”. No, this isn’t you typical slide found at a playground, what I am referring to is children…
Tips to Encourage Kids to Spend Time Reading
This post is sponsored by JORD Wood Watches Story time is one of my favorite parts of the day. It’s quiet time that I get to spend focused on my children one-on-one and is quite the bonding experience for us. I love how excited they get when they discover new favorites and I love that I…
What Makes a Great Bedtime Story?
What Makes a Great Bedtime Story? Ah, bedtime. Just the word can strike fear in some moms hearts, or it can bring a feeling of peace. Depending on which aspects you think of. If your “bedtime hour” is anything like mine it starts off as anything but serene. Here is what it looks like at…
Early Readers (5 to 8 years-old)
10 of the Best Graphic Novel Series for Newly Independent Readers
Being a newly independent reader is a very exciting time and you want young children to experience as much success as possible to help them enjoy reading and continue to develop their reading skills. Choosing books that are difficult enough to challenge them, yet simple enough that they can have success on their own is…
20+ Wonderful Beginning-Intermediate Reader Graphic Novels
Graphic novels are some of the most popular books in our home right now. They are entertaining, fun and all around awesome. This list is full of over 20 that we personally love. The list is meant to be great books for the transition from beginning to intermediate readers. I have them sorted by recommended…
20 Beginning Chapter Book Series with Illustrations
All beginning chapter books need a fun plot line and illustrations throughout, in my opinion. A fun plot line will pull children in and help they become lifelong readers who love reading and illustrations are vital at this young age when they are transitioning from picture books to chapter books. Below is list of 15+…
15 Short & Easy Beginning Chapter Book Series with Color Illustrations
Whether you have a new reader who is reader for longer text and is looking to build reading confidence or you are looking for the next step up from picture books in your read-aloud: illustrated beginning chapter books are for you! This list is one that I curated with some fantastic beginning chapter book series…
20+ Easy and Short Graphic Novels for Beginning Readers
We are major graphic novel fans over here! There are so many darling and clever graphic novels constantly releasing and it is so much fun to see. In fact, I’m a little jealous that all of these books weren’t around when I was a kid learning to read! Just like “regular books”, graphic novels come…
Our 7 Favorite Tools and Tips for Teaching the Alphabet
Learning the alphabet is such an essential, foundational skill for early literacy with children. It is one of the very first steps to learning to read and with over 20 letters (and sounds) to teach your kids the task can seem daunting at first. I totally understand, I felt the same way. However, the good…
Chameleon Reader Review: Turn Any Book Into an Audio Book!
This post is sponsored by Chameleon Reader. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own. I am beyond excited to share this product with you! In fact, it’s been a while since I was this excited about a product. We are pretty much obsessed over here. It’s called Chameleon Reader and it is a kit/tool…
50 Creative & Simple Indoor Activity Ideas With a Printable!
As we head into the end of March it is looking like I may be spending a whole string of days all at home with my kiddos. Honestly, it presents it’s challenges with keeping them entertained, but I also see it as a wonderful bonding opportunity for us. To prepare and keep things inside fun…
What We’re Using To Teach Reading At Home
Reading is one of my favorite parts of life. Obviously my beliefs and family come first before everything, then there are some other important priorities under that, but not far down the list is reading. Reading is my hobby, my “escape”, my entertainment, my passion and so much more. I am beyond thrilled that both…
“Ready-To-Read” Leveled Readers From Simon & Schuster
This post is done in partnership with Simon & Schuster. “Ready-To-Read” Leveled Readers from Simon & Schuster Teaching your child to read, whether you are homeschooling or supporting a public school education at home, can seem like a daunting task. There are so many books out there, and it can be hard to know where to start…
The Ultimate List of Great Beginning Chapter Book Series
Beginning chapter books are so important because they are the connection between leveled readers and regular chapter books. You can often recognize beginning/easy chapter books simply by glancing through the interiors. Usually there are still a good number of illustrations and the chapters are incredibly short. Also, the text is often spaced out with extra…
Our Favorite Early Reader Series for Beginning Readers!
Sometimes early readers have a bad reputation for being boring and dry. However, they can be a lot of fun, really they can! We are talking so much fun that even adults enjoy reading them. Talk the Elephant and Piggie books for example, I still chuckle every time I read them. Plus, there are…
Middle Grade (8 to 12 years-old)
20+ Wonderful Beginning-Intermediate Reader Graphic Novels
Graphic novels are some of the most popular books in our home right now. They are entertaining, fun and all around awesome. This list is full of over 20 that we personally love. The list is meant to be great books for the transition from beginning to intermediate readers. I have them sorted by recommended…
5 Fantastic New Middle Grade Books Ed. 4
This latest batch of middle grade bunch is a particularly wonderful one! It took me extra long to get this group up because I read a lot of middle grade books to find these titles that I am really excited about sharing. The other titles, in my opinion, just didn’t “cut-it” for one reason or…
5 Fantastic New Middle Grade Books Ed. 3
I am so excited to share the third edition of the last five middle grade books that I read and loved. They include a nonfiction beauty and four fictional stories that are sure to delight and transport you into their world. Below are my thoughts on each book as well as a synopsis that I…
5 Fantastic New Middle Grade Books Ed.2
I’m so pleased to share the second edition of the last five, noteworthy middle-grade books that I read. Each one is so vastly different from the next and each one is wonderful in it’s own right. Below you will find a short synopsis of my feelings about the book as well and the synopsis that…
5 Fantastic New Middle Grade Books
I really enjoy reading middle grade books and I am so excited to share my latest “middle grade reads” that I loved with you. Each one is a gem that I feel adults can enjoy just as much as children and each one is so different. I hope one or more sparks your interests and…
7 New Middle Grade Books that I Adore
These past few months I have been rediscovering the wonderfulness that is middle grade literature. When I taught fifth grade I read middle grade books all.the.time so that I could keep up on the genre and be able to recommend and introduce my students to amazing books. However, since teaching I slowly stopped reading as…
5 Great Tips to Encourage Kids to Read in the Summer
Sunshine, popsicles, swimsuits, green grass, parks, camping and more. Yup, summertime is pretty glorious! However, lurking in the cool shadows of those beautifully leafy trees is a horrible danger. It is often referred to as the “summer slide”. No, this isn’t you typical slide found at a playground, what I am referring to is children…
Creating a “Book Home”
Why We Organize our Picture Books by Color and 10 Other Ideas For Organizing Your Book Collection
I am a bit organization obsessed. Everything in my home has a place. (That doesn’t mean that everything is always “in it’s place”, but at least it has one! haha). Books are no different for me, they have to be organized somehow. When trying to decide how to organize our bookshelves I leaned toward practical….
Our Home Library Tour
I have been a book nerd for as long as I can remember and having a “home library” in my home was always a goal of mine. I am so pleased to have one in our house and it is one of my favorite rooms. Walking in the door makes me so happy and reading…
14 Day Spread Love Challenge with Free Printables
A few years ago I started a “Spread Love Challenge” in the hopes to help teach my children the positive impact they can make in the world along with valuable lessons such as the meaning of love, gratitude and community. My family has had such a wonderful experience with this challenge and this year we…
10+ Tips For Building a Home Library on a Budget
When it comes to books I almost feel like you can’t have too many. More books means more adventures to go on and more time reading means more time developing important skills such as building your vocabulary as well as having outright fun. I grew up in a home with a lot of books and…
Why I Judge Picture Books By Their Cover
Okay, so there is an old saying that declares that “you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover.” In fact, it is such a popular saying that I am willing to bet 10 candy bars that you have heard of it before. Why is this saying so common? I think it is because there happens to…
Teepee Book Nook Reveal
(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience and was done in partnership with multiple brands.) Not too long ago I shared my daughters canopy nook that I put together for her and ever since then I have been planing a nook for my son and I am excited to finally reveal the outcome to…
Building Your Baby’s First Library: Where to Start
When I found out that I was pregnant with my first child I was ecstatic. We felt so ready to start our family and I was anxious to begin preparations for welcoming our little bundle into our home. The first big shopping spree I went on for my baby when I was pregnant was for books. That’s…
Canopy Book Nook Reveal
There’s only one thing that the book nerd side of me loves just as much as a good book (other than Harry Potter World at Universal Studios) , and that is a cozy book nook. Having an incredible story to dive into is amazing, but having a cozy place to do the diving really makes me…
Literacy Tools
All About the Yoto Player
We received a gifted Yoto Player and a selection of audio cards from Yoto Player and this post contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We really love this device! We are obviously crazy about all things books over here and that ranges from the actual physical items to audio books. So,…
Our 7 Favorite Tools and Tips for Teaching the Alphabet
Learning the alphabet is such an essential, foundational skill for early literacy with children. It is one of the very first steps to learning to read and with over 20 letters (and sounds) to teach your kids the task can seem daunting at first. I totally understand, I felt the same way. However, the good…
Chameleon Reader Review: Turn Any Book Into an Audio Book!
This post is sponsored by Chameleon Reader. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own. I am beyond excited to share this product with you! In fact, it’s been a while since I was this excited about a product. We are pretty much obsessed over here. It’s called Chameleon Reader and it is a kit/tool…
Encouraging Children to Write Through Journaling
Just as some children enjoy playing basketball and others don’t, not all children love writing. However, even if they don’t enjoy it, writing is a skill that they will eventually use on almost a daily basis and one that is essential for children to learn. It’s arguably not even ideal to just have basic writing skills. The more you…
ABC Trace-n-Erase Chalkboard from Chalkfull of Design
ABC Trace-n-Erase Chalkboard from Chalkfull of Design I found a favorite new tool for my alphabet obsessed little boy and I am so excited about it! As I’ve mentioned on here before, he has been alphabet obsessed forever and learned them all before he was two years old. This fascination has grown as his knowledge…
Albo’s Music Room “Folk for Little Folk” Album
I have noticed throughout my life that music has a big impact on my mood and my mood has a big influence on the music I want to listen too. In fact, I have playlists on my iPod that are organized based off of moods such as my “pick-me-up” playlist for times when I feel…
Emily Arrow Storytime Singalong Albums
Okay. So it’s obvious that I love picture books, and loving kids music is also a given. But, what happens when they combine? I’ll tell you! You get: Emily Arrow! Emily Arrow is an absolutely darling musician that combines story time and music by basing some of her songs off of popular children’s literature. For…
Flash Cards and Coloring Book from The Jam Tart
Alphabet Flash Cards and Coloring Book from “The Jam Tart” My little guy has been in love with the alphabet since he was about 18 months-old. He learned to recite them with pride and even got down his letter recognition for the uppercase letters. Some of his favorite toys that helped him with this were…
Silly and Spooky Halloween Playlist for Kids
We are huge Halloween fans over here. I mean, c’mon, whats not to love? There’s: decorating pumpkins, candy, caramel apples, costumes, parties, and MUSIC! Music, as I’m sure it is with most of you, is an integral part of our holiday celebrations every year. However, for some reason it is more of a struggle…
Cantata Books
Cantata Books Are you looking for some books that would be a great resource for singing with your kiddos? Here they are! These are fantastic books that are essentially illustrated children’s songs. Some of them are more well known songs such as the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and others I had never heard of such as “What’s The…
You Are You! Album
You Are You! Children’s Music Album by Sylvie Simhon with illustrations in the accompanying booklet by Tania De Regil My little guy is totally in love with music. He has a whole bunch of songs already memorized at barely 3 years old and one of my favorite things to hear is his little voice singing…
