You can probably already tell how important books are in our household. We are really trying to impart a love of reading to Little M. Story time before bed is an important ritual. We let Little M pick out the book he wants to read and sit down to enjoy it together. Here are a few favorites in no specific order:
The Going-To-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton; this short and simple story is a quick and amusing read. Little M loves reading about the group of animals on a boat who take a bath, find pajamas big and small, hang their towels on the wall, brush their teeth and “rock and rock and rock to sleep.”
Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, is a book that needs no explanation. A true classic, I remember my mom reading this book to me when I was little. We always end the book by saying good night to everything in the room, “good night crib, good night books, good night toys.”
I really love the Good Night Our World series by Adam Gamble, the books list many important sights in various cities. We have Good Night Los Angeles and Good Night Ocean and I keep meaning to add to the collection and buy new books every time we travel to a new city with Little M.
Little Nutbrown Hare and his dad demonstrate how much they love each other by hopping high (and higher) and reaching their arms out wide (and wider) in Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram.
And finally, Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann was the first book that Little M recognized and was able to pick out by name when I asked for it, so this tale of the gorilla in the zoo who follows zookeeper and lets all the animals out (lion, elephant, armadillo) will always be a personal favorite. Short on words but big on illustrations, it appeals to the littlest readers as well. There you have it, so many books and I could go on to recommend so many more (and I probably will). I hope this helps you in building your own little library at home.