I support bookshelf entitlement.

"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves."  

Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991

I am about to make you very jealous.

My dad built this for the nursery:

Everyone should have a reading sanctuary, a library. In that house I dream of owning twenty years from now, there is a beautiful, sunny room with comfortable chairs and a fireplace, and the walls are lined from floor to ceiling with books.

But there will also be a rotating selection of picture books on this shelf that is so clean-lined and functional and beautiful, displaying books to entice readers...

You should get one, too,

like this double-sided book display case:

Early Childhood Resources ELR0335 Double Sided Book Display Stand

or like this Wild West revolving bookcase:

 

as seen on this great kids' bookshelf site

or you can use Ribba picture ledgers from Ikea:

 or make shelves like the Ikea ones, as I saw on this cool DIY blog.

Mine has nice bead board on the back, so I can have it in the middle of a room, or at the foot of a bed...I love it in the nursery reading nook, and I'll love it in my fantasy pre-school activity room.

Thanks, Pop. It is perfect.

Kittens

Who doesn't love kittens? Even cat-haters will admit a kitten is cute. (Does anyone else think of The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper singing Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur..." when they see a kitten? Just me?)

Well, Auntie Jenna recently picked out The Little Kitten (author Judy Dunn, photographer Phoebe Dunn) for Baby A, and then realized why she was drawn to the sweet photo story of a mischievous kitten...she had the book when she was a kid. Childhoods, like kittens, are soft, warm, tiny, and mischievous. Reading about a girl and her kitten brings back that sentimental glow of a good day as a kid . Double that dose when you're reading something like that you actually remember enjoying as a child! What were your early favorite books?

P.S. Baby A actually giggled when she saw the first page.

i love you, i read you

Do you know why it is important to read together?

Reading:

• builds appreciation for literature and learning
• develops literacy skills and language skills
• increases knowledge
• fosters conversation
• provides an outlet for feelings
• engages imagination
• improves problem-solving comprehension and 
• reinforces moral decision-making

But best of all, it makes for a good cuddle. 

Who will you cuddle-read with today?

(Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt)