Reading Rocks: 5 Books That Shaped Me

I have read A LOT of books but I don't think I could pin down a "favourite".  Over the years my "favourite" book has changed.  I can't decide if current life circumstances influence one's intake of media, or if media influences one's life circumstances.  Did I read Babysitter's Club because I loved to babysit?  Or did I like babysitting because I read Babysitter's Club?

In either case, today I share the books I feel have played significant roles in my life and why: 

1.  Come Over To My House by Theo LeSing - This is a kid's book I've recommended on my blog in the past.  My Dad read this to me and my brother as a child - he did voices of the kids from different areas of the world (Australian, Russian, Scottish, etc) and we would laugh and beg for him to read it again.  It might have influenced my tolerance for other cultures... I found it on eBay after my boys were born, left it at my parent's home and apparently my Dad reads it with the same silly voices to his Grandkids.  

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2.  Forever by Judy Blume - I can name 3 Judy Blume books that I would consider influential in my life (Are You There God? It's Me Margaret and Tiger Eyes are the other two).  But Forever was the first book I read with sex in it.  Not erotica sex (erotica is usually as fake as porn - although not often as raunchy).  No, this book had real, first-time teenage sex, and a realistic aftermath.  

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3.  Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - this is a book that I am often embarrassed to admit to reading.  Why was it an influence in my life?  It was the first book (series) I picked up after my kids were born.  I remember reading a Dan Brown book the week I was due with my first son (December, 2005).  Until Twilight (June 2008), I hadn't read a single book.  It got me excited to read again, it gave me the "must stay up until 2am to finish" feeling, even though I KNEW I should sleep when the new baby slept.  It also made me realize I could read "fluff" as an adult.

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4.  Phantom by Susan Hay - This was the first adult book I ever read.  I think I was 14 years old.  Before Phantom I was reading Babysitter's Club books (like 2 per week), Fear Street, Christopher Pike and Lois Duncan.  At the time I was obsessed with Phantom of the Opera, I had seen it like 3 times in only a year and a half.  This book is about the life of the man who became the Phantom - essentially it tells how he ended up under the opera house and what/who influenced his life and path to become who he became.  Told from different perspectives starting with his birth, it ends where the musical/movie begins.

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5. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien - I haven't actually finished the book yet (technically that is).  My father told me the story of the Hobbit as a bedtime story when I was a child.  To this day I can trace my love of fantasy and sci-fi back to this book.  After the movie came out in 2012, I picked it up and (finally) started to read it.  

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Reading Rocks: Blast From The Past

"There is more treasure in books than in 

all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." — Walt Disney

One of the greatest joys is reading books to your kids that were read to you as a child.  My love of fantasy and action stories (and movies) comes from my father.  Before bed he would tell me the story of The Hobbit - no book, but the images created in my mind have stayed with me my whole life.  To this day I collect copies of The Hobbit for my shelf.  

Bedtime was a time of laughter and stories at my house.  Here are three "classics" that have stood the test of time for me (and my kids). 

Come Over To My House 

by: Theo LeSing (aka Dr. Seuss) 

Originally published in 1966, the story follows a little boy who travels the world as he is invited to friends homes in different countries.  Although the countries are hyper-stereotyped (circa 1960's:  e.g. his friend in the arctic lives in an igloo), the message of friendship across the world and regardless (or perhaps because) of culture comes through loud and clear.     

The Big Honey Hunt

by: Stan & Jan Berenstain

Before the cartoon, before the series of paperback books, even before Sister Bear, there was Mama, Papa and Little Bear (later re-named Brother).  This was a book I learned to read by way of an accompanying audio book.  The story follows Little Bear and Papa as they follow a bee to find honey for their honey pot.   The rhyming is fun and I personally love how Mama is ALWAYS right in the end  :)

Fox in Socks
by:  Dr. Suess
If you think you are good at reading tongue twisters out loud - give this a try!  It's one of the most difficult books to read out loud (in the proper rhythm).  My kids beg me to read it to them and laugh when I get the words mixed up.  By the end of the book I'm usually out of breath.  It's super fun, and super memorable.  Check out this You Tube video to see the "proper way" to read it: Fox on Socks amateur video

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6 Books That Aren't Goodnight Moon

Baby showers become an opportunity for seasoned parents to pass on their tips and experiences to new and to-be parents.  My tips are modest and usually focus on saving sanity like: "if you think you have enough onesies - buy 10 more!" (incidentally, you can buy 10 onesies at a local Goodwill for about $3-$5 and they will be like new - most kids outgrow clothes gifted at showers before they get a chance to wear them in).

That being said, I don't usually gift clothes.  I like to gift books at baby showers because they give years of enjoyment for both parents and kids.

Between my two baby showers, I received three copies of Goodnight Moon and two of Good Night, Gorilla.  Now, don't get me wrong, there are excellent books.  I enjoy reading them and my kids have loved them for years.  They are classics that I think should be in every child's library.  They just seem to be "over-gifted".

If you want to give books to new parents that will ensure years of enjoyment for boys, girls and parents, here are a few that I found fit the bill, and aren't usually duplicated by other gift givers. Each uses one or all of (what I call) "The 3R's" of baby/toddler books: Rhythm, Rhyming and Repetition.

Hand, Hand, Fingers Thumb by Al Perkins
(specifically the shortened board book edition)
I like to give the shortened version of this book because it's a quick read for younger kids yet still retains a fun, catchy rhythm.  No real story-line, just a really fun book.  While reading it we would beat our thumbs along with the words.  Building up to the last few pages, I would hold my boys tight and rock back and forth to the beat of the drum: "Dum ditty, dum ditty, dum dum dum" - they would giggle with anticipation each time we read it.  To this day it brings a smile across my face.

Each Peach Pear Plum by Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg 

Originally published in 1978, this classic was introduced to me by a former co-worker.  I am a fairy tale "nut" and the fact that I had never heard of this book blew my mind!  It's essentially a look and find book, where each page has a fairy tale character hiding somewhere in the (beautifully illustrated) picture.  The corresponding verse contains a hint for each page and is fun and easy to remember.  This is another story I could repeat without the book in front of me, something I was grateful for when I needed to comfort my boys late at night without free hands or a light.

Rock-a-Bye Farm by Diane Johnston Hamm 

A cute, endearing story about a farmer who rocks his baby to sleep and then proceeds to rock the dog, the sheep and all the other animals on his farm.  The copy I found at my local used library book sale had illustrations by Rick Brown, personally I like the Rick Brown version better then this one, however it is out of print now and the newer edition is the one I've linked here.  Rock-a-Bye Farm is a perfect bedtime story.

Can't Catch Me by Michael Foreman
Another book I came across at our local library sale!  This fun story is about a mommy monkey trying to put her son to bed.  He jumps out the window and says "Can't catch me!".  Each turn of the page shows the little monkey running from a different group of animals, until they all finally catch him and.... TICKLE HIM!!!!  It's fun, funny and another great story for bedtime.

Hug by Jez Alborough

A little monkey (what's with all the monkey stories?) is looking for a hug.  All of the animals he passes in the jungle are giving or getting hugs from their mommies.  The interesting thing about this story is that there is only one word (well three by the end) through the whole book.  My kids liked to help me read this one and we all had that warm-fuzzy feeling when the little monkey found his Mommy at the end.

Inside Outside Upside Down by Jan & Stan Berenstain

One of the great things about reading to your kids is re-discovering books you loved growing up.  This was one of my favorite books when I was little.  There's no Sister Bear in the original Berenstain Bear books, just Brother, Mother and Father.  Inside, Outside, Upside Down is a quick, basic story that uses repetition and rhythm while teaching the difference between inside, outside and upside down. 

So, the next baby shower or toddler birthday you're invited to, consider giving books!

I've enjoyed reading these to my kids for almost seven years.  They have survived the book and toy purges throughout the years and have ended up on my bookshelf.  I pick them up, smell them, flip through the worn pages and even read them aloud to myself.

My kids have outgrown them, but not me.

Who can say THAT of a pack of onesies?

Side Note:  

Personally, I prefer the 

Board Book editions 

(they last longer with wee ones)

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From Pooh to poo - Why I like Captain Underpants too (hey, that rhymes!)

Goodbye Winnie The Pooh, hello Captain Underpants! (as long as they like reading... right?)

One thing I will never get used to is how much joy potty humor brings my two boys.  Are girls like this at 4 and 6 years old???


The newest Captain Underpants book was released at the end of August.  I LOVE that Dave Pilkey gets boys interested in books, and I will admit to giggling at some of the jokes aimed them (Pilkey is a deceptively smart story teller who knows his audience).  

Although we have yet to read the newest one (we will be buying it thorough the Scholastic book club at my son's school), I can tell you now that my kids will love it.  

I was weary about starting the series (especially with my older son), for fear of potty humor escaping into the school/classroom.  As grade one sped along, I quickly realized I can't do much about his choice of humor at school (or anywhere else).  We try to teach him the right time and place for potty humor:  with friends at recess - yes; when talking to your teacher/principal - no; when playing with your brother - yes; at the dinner table - no. 

Potty humor aside, the books are fun, and creative.  (A note to squirm-ish parents:  the spin off graphic novel series "Super Diaper Baby" is shameless with it's potty humor - explained by the concept that the comics were written by the two main characters in Captain Underpants) .



With the success of the Underpants series Pilkey's other books have been shoved out of the spotlight. A fabulous series that Dave Pilkey wrote following Captain Underpants is Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot. 

It's about a bullied boy who is befriend by a giant robot and ends up saving the world at the end of every book.  Again, aimed at boys, but with NO POTTY HUMOR. Each book has a different villain who invades Earth from one of the planets in our solar system: Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Vs. the Jurassic Jack Rabbits From Jupiter;  Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Vs. the Mutant Mosquitoes From Mercury; and so on.

Unfortunately, the Ricky series stops at Uranus - two more books where (supposedly) intended for the series, but with the success of Captain Underpants and Super Diaper Baby, is seems that Pilkey has been cashing in on the "sure sell" of poo and farts. 

As for story time at our house: I have given up suggesting Winnie the Pooh, the Gruffalo and and other kids books I might nostalgically enjoy more then my kids.  As long as they are interested in books, I can put up with the potty words - it's fun to laugh with them and I like that they look forward to story time still.  It won't long until they won't need me to read a story to them, and one day (I've been told), I'll miss it.


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