Between the three of us, we've probably got about fifty bazillion books in this house.
You think I'm kidding, but I'm really not.
Well, probably not fifty bazillion, but close.
Definitely way too many to even think about counting.
Thanks to my previous life as a teacher, Gv was born owning almost as many kids' books as our neighborhood library.
But since most of you probably don't have a ready-made library to bring home from your classroom, or want to invest your child's entire college fund in picture books that will drive you mad after the 487th reading, or even have the space to store more than a bookcase-full of volumes, I have some great advice for you.
Anthologies.
Yes, invest in just a few of these weighty tomes and your home will be overflowing with great children's literature - some of the best kids books out there - while filling just one small shelf's worth of space.
And believe it or not (although I'm sure this won't surprise you), we have almost all of these packed in on our shelves, too:
20th Century Children's Book Treasury
This selection includes "some of the most memorable and beloved children's books of our time" and even provides a list of book recommendations of great titles published since this anthology came out. It also contains small versions of most of the original illustrations.
Treasury of Children's Literature
I love the diversity of this collection - it includes stories, fairy tales, poems and nursery rhymes and makes the perfect gift for a new baby (that's how we got ours!)
This also includes the original illustrations.
The Magic Realm of Fairy Tales
The stories in this book are a bit longer than some of the others (so get comfy in that read-aloud chair), but they are some of Gv's favorites.
It's an old collection, but hey, classic fairy tales never go out of style.
A First Book of Fairy Tales
If you can't easily find the fairy tale book above (or want something a little more updated, with more colorful illustrations), then this selection is probably your best bet.
It includes many of the standards that you'll want to make sure to own.
My Book House
Another of our favorites with an older publishing date (the original was 1920), these books are worth their weight in gold.
Charlotte Mason fans will most likely already be acquainted with this set, but any style of homeschooling family will benefit from adding these to their collection.
We actually only own the first one in the set, but Gv loves it so much that I've been scouring the internet for cheap deals on the others for some time now.
If you're like me and want to go ahead and enjoy the other volumes before grabbing a physical copy, then check out my friend Pam's post about these books, where she shares links to both the ebooks and audio versions for free online!
Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young
Because we own so many Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein poetry books already, I held off purchasing this one and we just keep it on a semi-permanent basis from the library.
It's a really fun collection of poems, filled with colorful illustrations on each page.
Finally, if you're looking to expand your home library just a bit and purchase a few paperback picture books as well, then check out some of the book lists from this post.
Just scroll to the final two suggestions on the list and click on over to their websites, where you'll find enough great book suggestions to more than fill your shelves.
Are your bookcases overflowing like ours, or do you prefer to own just a few classic books and make frequent trips to the library? I'd love to hear! Either leave a comment below or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.
One of my favorite times, in life, was sitting down with my children and reading. Their warm little body snuggled in, anxious to hear a story. We really looked forward to this time as parents, and look back on it was so much fondness. All of the books above look like great choices to use during this bonding time with your child. I'm sure that many parents will take your suggestions, and an anthology is a great way to get all the stories you want in one large book.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite times, in life, was sitting down with my children and reading. Their warm little body snuggled in, anxious to hear a story. We really looked forward to this time as parents, and look back on it was so much fondness. All of the books above look like great choices to use during this bonding time with your child. I'm sure that many parents will take your suggestions, and an anthology is a great way to get all the stories you want in one large book.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite times, in life, was sitting down with my children and reading. Their warm little body snuggled in, anxious to hear a story. We really looked forward to this time as parents, and look back on it was so much fondness. All of the books above look like great choices to use during this bonding time with your child. I'm sure that many parents will take your suggestions, and an anthology is a great way to get all the stories you want in one large book.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite times, in life, was sitting down with my children and reading. Their warm little body snuggled in, anxious to hear a story. We really looked forward to this time as parents, and look back on it was so much fondness. All of the books above look like great choices to use during this bonding time with your child. I'm sure that many parents will take your suggestions, and an anthology is a great way to get all the stories you want in one large book.
ReplyDeleteI loved sharing books with my girls it really does bond you together - thanks for sharing this list with I am Pinnable Lisa :)
ReplyDeleteFabulous! Being an English major in college so many years ago, I always dreaded when we had to buy an anthology for a class...well because they are so darn heavy to carry around! But now that I am a mom, this type of book is a favorite in our house. They are much easier to organize and filled with so much marvel!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for linking up with me On the Edge of the Week! I hope to see you again next week. Have a marvelous weekend!
Shelbee
www.shelbeeontheedge.com
I have one or two of my old books given to my girls, Not quite sure where my others are!
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking up to #justanotherlinky
You can never have too many books! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday
ReplyDeleteThese days we nearly always buy digital books, but I can't imagine not having real books with little ones. Your collection sounds like good fun reading.
ReplyDeleteKathleen
Bloggers Pit Stop
Wonderful list! Love it! Thanks for sharing with the Cozy Reading Spot
ReplyDeleteI agree-you can never have too many books. I have a love for reading and I am trying to instill that into my children. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty hope to see you back!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great round up an anyone of them would make a great gift. Thanks for sharing your link with us at Creatively Crafty #CCBG http://tryit-likeit.com/link-it.
ReplyDeleteI love our reading time. Books are very important to me and I want to make sure the children grow up to love reading as well. Thanks for sharing these anthologies. They are all unfamiliar to me. I will have to check them out.
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful for your continued participation in Littles Learning Link Up. Your post is this week's Randomly Selected Featured Post.
If you would ever like to guest post on Littles Learning Link Up, I would love to have you. Just let me know. I am still scheduling guest posts for the last three months of the year.
Have a blessed day
We read to our toddler every night and currently we're stuck on Paw Patrol books. Or Frozen. We also read some Welsh books namely Sali Mali. #FridayFrivolity
ReplyDeleteI had a book shower and got tons of books to start my daughters library before she was born too :) I don't have any of the ones you show, I prefer lighter for when my son dive bombs me while reading and I get hit in the face with it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at #bloggerspotlight! Don't forget to come link up tomorrow night and see who got featured!
We love the first one, but the others are new to me. Thanks for linking this post up with Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com!
ReplyDeleteTina