BOOKS

An ever-changing, evolving list of favorites:
Reading books to Evie up to the age of 4months didn't matter. It was more entertaining for me and more for the creation & establishing of a routine. Besides, I don't think she had a clue what was going on until after 4months.
Evie seemed "get" that I was reading pages to her after 4months.
Around 8months she squirmed endlessly and tried to close the books on me.
Around 10months I would hold up 3 books and make her point/pick one. She always picked the same ones (she knew what was what).
Around 11months she had favorites that would make her sit still but she wriggled off my lap as soon as I began a book she hated.
Recently, and I mean very recently, she has taken to loving her books. She pulls them down off the shelves and tries to flip through the pages. And, even more shocking, she sits still and will listen to nearly anything I read.
Evie's first set of books I read were things like "Runaway Bunny" or "Guess How Much I Love You." These were books I found cute and she just sat there.
Evie then only truly loved Boynton books. Short. Sing-songy. Funny ryhmes. And, you could flip through the pages quickly. I highly recommend many but the top two: "The Goodnight Book" and "Barnyard Dance" (fun to read quickly!).
Evie just as quickly liked things DIFFERENT. She really loved (and still loves) "10 Little Ladybugs". She knows by my inflection when to turn the pages and she knows which ladybug will 'fly away' with each page turn. I would call this her #1 book.
Stemming from the 3D effect from the ladybug book, grandma found "Five Little Puppies" featuring miniature stuffed animal puppies sewn to the pages. Evie really enjoys this book but not quite as much as the ladybugs.
Knowing Evie was into textures, we dug up a book from the basement (a hand-me-down), washed it and gave it to her at around 9 months old. "Fuzzy Bee." She loved to eat Beetle-Bug's shiny blue wings although I recommend that no one machine wash & dry this book if they own it. It really killed the color. Hand-wash!
"Toes, Ears & Nose." I honestly do not care for the artwork in this book... at all. Because of this, I was reluctant to ever open it. The storyline... is really quite cheesy, too. But Evie LOVES IT! She's now mastered where all the flaps are and in what direction they open. She's not the only kid to love this book.. its a top ten among many. Also recommended, "Where's Baby's Bellybutton?"
A. bought this for me shortly after Eve was born. Its cute and silly and I had never heard of it. Not initially a big draw, "Cornelius P Mud" is a house fav. Its repetitive and simple, Evie flips through the pages faster than I can read them. I highly recommend this fun book.
Lastly, I never owned this book as a kid. In fact, I only heard of it in recent years despite it being around for over 60 years. Revered as classic, "Goodnight Moon" is a bit dated (good night mush? Who the hell eats mush before bed... or, at all?), the drawings are ok (limited colors and half the pages are b/w), and the storyline is odd (goodnight nobody?). But after reading this book again and again... you begin to understand why this book is so great. It just is. And, best of all, Evie likes it, too.