On the other side, if they want their mother to read to them, they better choose good ones, otherwise there will be long breaks in the reading to discuss gender roles, politics and consumerism. "Here it says that Peter went out to play, while Mary stayed inside to help their mother. Does that seem fair? What do you suggest that Mary should do?"
... It's like you've been spying on me reading books to my daughter or my niece. Or going back in time to my mother reading me books. It's a time-honoured tradition. :)
Ok, I've narrowed down what we're buying in terms of books this month (a few for the house, and a few for under the Christmas tree - and I am firmly of the opinion that children's books are a non-negotiable expense, in addition to the library, and I hve an 18-month-old whose preferred activity is to read books, so...) I thought some people here might be into some of our choices, so here you have it. Unless noted, ALL of these are under 8$ CAD new, and US people can probably beat that price easily.
Bias statement (and a request for recommendations...) : I avoid gendered or consumer-encouraging books as much as possible, lean towards good plot and pretty illustrations, and refuse to read super-cheesy feel-good books because they make me cringe. I have a huge soft spot for where-things-come-from type books, as well as books that encourage exploring or making things. I am specifically looking for books that represent cultures that are NOT white-middle-American, with a soft spot for French Canadian folk tales (my culture).
PRE-CHRISTMAS BOOKS (of the leave-next-to-the-couch-and-read-all-December variety).
- Just Right for Christmas by Birdie Black. It's a cute book with good illustrations, it's not horrifically cheesy, and, while it IS about Christmas presents, it's mostly about the joy of MAKING Christmas presents that are things people NEED (jackets, gloves, etc), out of found items. Seems like a good life lesson overall.
- The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco. A story about both Hanukkah and Christmas, and about making things and making do and being good to people in general. Generally aimed at older kids, but my daughter has the patience for it.
UNDER-THE-TREE BOOKS:
- Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman. Great illustrations, and about taking things that are worn out and making something new with them.
- The Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall. A great "where things come from" book that follows seasons; we've renewed it 4 times at the library so far and read it at least twice a day.
- When Stella Was Very Very Small by Marie-Louise Gay: ALL the Stella books are lovely, but this one particularly is about exploring the world and how the world is different when you're very very small ("world" = backyard, living room, bathtub, etc - super non-commercial, very adorable, very relatable, with lovely illustrations)
- The Keeping Quilt, by Patricia Polacco: Gorgeous illustrations, about family and memory and culture, told via a quilt.
- Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman. Hilarious tale of a father getting distracted while shopping for milk and making up ludicrous stories to cover for it. Anything Neil Gaiman has written is pretty great, IMO. Special mention for Chu's Day, which has been a favourite over the past year.
I am throwing out a mention for Everywhere Babies, which is a perpetual favorite (babies! But also babies of multiple colours, with parents in multiple colours/ages/configurations, and none of it is preachy, it's just presented as the reality... which, y'know, it IS.
Now, recommendations: my daughter has the patience for anything aimed at the under-6 age group (less than 5 sentences per page, say). I'm SPECIFICALLY looking for Hanukkah (or other Jewish holiday) books, as well as Muslim-holiday books, since she's soaked in Anglo-Christian culture but we've got a good number of Jewish and Muslim friends and I'd like my kid to grow up seeing their holidays as normal, too (and these friends don't yet have kids and can't recommend kid-appropriate books). Everything I've found is extensive enough to be almost a chapter-book, which ain't gonna cut it with an 18-month-old, no matter how many books she likes. Suggestions, pls?