Building a Library for Our Daughter

I can remember growing up and having books always around me. I remember my mom sitting on the couch, reading her own novel, which encouraged me to dig out a book—whether it was of nursery rhymes or a Disney storybook—to do the same. I can remember trips to the library and used bookstore to replenish our stash of reading material. And nights not spent watching television (because back then, we didn’t have cable) but reading and exploring the printed page.

It was obviously a pastime that impacted me, as I went on to fall in love not only with reading but writing as well, and to grow up to become a writer. It all started in those earliest days, when a book was as much a friend to me as a stuffed animal.

So it should be no surprise that I fully intend on passing a love for reading down to my own daughter, as well.

Fortunately, even though she isn’t yet born, she’s already started collecting a growing stash of books—from a children’s Bible to the Velveteen Rabbit, from well-worn copies of Dr. Seuss favorites to basic readers for when the time comes.

Plus, since almost all of my adult life was spent working in publishing, I had the opportunity to start collecting a few children’s books well before the possibility of having a child was anywhere near happening. Still, I knew how much reading had meant for me growing up, and wanted to prepare for that even then, stashing the books in a cardboard box that I recently dug out and can’t wait to read to her. These are some of my favorites because they’re filled with beautiful illustrations, like When You Were Small and Sparkle and Spin.

I also got the chance to receive a book for her from Tyndale Blogger’s Network to review, called Bible Stories that End with a Hug. I have to admit that it wasn’t quite what I expected. The one thing I do really like about it is that it covers a lot of Bible stories; 75 to be exact. You are hard-pressed to find a children's Bible book that includes that many! But, of course there's a compromise in having that vast quantity, which is that each "story" is condensed to a 2-page spread, which includes a full-page illustration (admittedly pretty cute!), one Bible verse, a sentence-or-two summary of the story, and then some reflection on the moral of the story and how it applies to our children's lives (this is set up in a short Q&A format).

I wonder if it would have been better to spread the stories out longer and separate the book into multiple volumes, rather than squish it all into one. I'm not sure how well the 2-page spread will capture a little one's attention or really excite them, to be honest. And then each story wraps up with the encouragement to give one another a hug, based on some aspect of the story. While it's cute, it seems a little extraneous tacked on the end to me. For those reasons, I definitely don't think it's the best Bible story resource for kids available, but I do think it will be interesting to incorporate this into her library and see how she takes to it; I could be pleasantly surprised!

So, even though she’s years away from being able to read on her own, we’re already cultivating this love for reading and preparing her for a lifetime of enjoyment that comes from it.

By the way, do you have any favorite young children’s books you’d recommend? Particularly ones with good “life lessons” (blessons!) woven in? I'd love to hear your suggestions in the comments!

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