People tend to be collectors of "things".......
Some like to collect coins.
Others stamps.
There are women who collect tea cups and fine china.
I have a dear friend who collects wine bottles.
My husband is a music collector and has quite the audio library. Thanks to him we have thousands of great tunes from amazing artists which fill our iPods.
On the other hand, my son's fifth grade teacher collects pigs and has a classroom full of them~that is pig paraphernalia, not the students.
I have a very sweet memory of my Grandma and her collection of salt and pepper shakers.
As for myself, I collect Children's Books. I have an absolute love and passion for all things children's literature. I've always dreamt of writing a children's book and having it published. I hope to make that dream a reality someday. For now, I'll continue admiring the work of others. My collection began when I was in college at the University of Utah. I took a Children's Literature class from the most amazing professor. His lectures were incredibly fun, enlightening and enjoyable. It was the one class I couldn't wait to attend each week. And each two hour class seem to just fly by. I couldn't get enough. He introduced me to many great authors and books~which are, of course, all part of my sweet collection.
When I go to Barnes and Noble or Borders, I'm never there to buy the next New York Times Best Seller. Instead, you'll find me in the Children's Section. I love that I have three children so I can justify my purchases. But it doesn't stop there. Not only do I buy books from these great stores, I love it when my kids bring home the monthly Scholastic Book order forms. I always get so excited to see what new books there are! And then there's the Scholastic Book Fairs held on campus at the Elementary School my kids attend. I've even been known to travel 50 miles to the annual Scholastic Book Tent sale where you can buy children's books dirt cheap at the warehouse itself. I have every kind of Children's Book imaginable. I officially have a library. You could check books out from me if you wanted to. My mother-in-law does. She is a volunteer at her local Elementary School where she has story time with the Kindergartners weekly.
I have one problem right now though. The large bookshelf where I house my collection, well, it's full. Guess I need to buy another. I have books which cover every holiday and season. Silly stories. Books on animals, transportation, love and families. And the list goes on. And on. And on.
As soon as I knew I was pregnant with each of my three children I'd read to them nightly, before turning out the lights and falling into a deep slumber. And have ever since. In fact, it's funny, because now they can't seem to fall asleep unless I've read them a story. It's such a sweet time for us to share together.
I can't say as if I have one favorite author. Illustrator. Or book. But here is a list of many of my favorite author/illustrators and the wonderful children's books they've written~which you can find in my home library. I encourage each of you to add these to your own libraries, if you haven't already:
Dav Pilkey author of Dogzilla, Dumb Bunnies Easter {very funny story}, and the Captain Underpants series {Dav Pilkey writes incredibly funny stories}!
Don and Audrey Wood author/illustrators of King Bidgoods in the Bathtub, The Napping House, Piggies
Eric Carle author/illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Click Beetle, The Very Lonely Firefly, The Very Quiet Cricket, Polar Bear Polar Bear, Brown Bear Brown Bear, The Grouchy Ladybug
Dr. Seuss, have so many....but here's a few of our faves: I'm Not going to get Up Today, Green Eggs and Ham, Cat in the Hat, Go Dogs Go, The Foot Book, Wacky Wednesday
Chris Van Allsburg author/illustrator of The Polar Express
Chris Van Dusen author/illustrator of Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee, A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee, & Mercy Watson {absolutely love his illustrations}
Caralyn Buehner author/illustrator of Snowmen at Night, Snowmen at Christmas, and The Escape of Marvin the Ape
Luara Numeroff author of these fun books: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Take A Mouse to the Movies, If You Give a Cat A Cupcake, If You Give a Moose A Muffin, If You Take A Mouse to School, If You Give a Pig A Party, If You Give a Pig a Pancake
Lucille Colandro author of, "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed..." series
If there is one thing which has come out of this, it is that my children now have a love for reading. Even Megan~who can't quite read yet. Since she is a visual learner, I often find her sitting quietly in her room with stacks of books around her. Flipping through books page by page. Gazing at the pictures. She loves books too and one day, when she can read, she is going to be a book worm.
Every night, after I've read to my children, I tuck them into their comfy, cozy beds and shut off their lights. Before I go to bed, I always check on them, to see if they are truly asleep. Often times I find them still reading in bed. Having a hard time putting their books down. It's great when you actually have to tell your child to stop reading so they can catch some much needed zzzz's for their little growing bodies.
I LOVE reading with my children~books from my sweet collection.
PS....Maybe I'll start doing a weekly children's book review....stay tuned....
