Category: books

Little Home Library- Part TWO
You’re Back! Yay!

In “part two” of my library post, I’m going to share how I categorized all of my books, the different genres I created, and a few book recommendations for each genre! Also, don’t forget to scroll to the bottom for a fun blog share and a GIVEAWAY!

And if this is your first time visiting (Welcome!) don’t forget to read Part One on how to start a Little Library in your own home, HERE.

Gah! I’m just so happy that you are here and interested in this little project of mine…and maybe in building your own!?! I’m such a book nerd, always have been, and I just love watching my kids get excited about books too! They’ve seriously read more and cycled through more books in the few weeks we’ve had the library than in months prior combined. I only wish I would’ve started this project sooner! Well, better late than never I guess! I’m just so excited to watch this little library change and grow over the years, as the kids do. It’s one of my greatest wishes- to instill, in them, a love of reading.

Here’s hoping…

GENRE BINS AND BOOK RECS

Ok, let’s get to the good stuff: genres and actual books! Your genre groups may be different, but I created my bins based on:

1. The books I had on hand and

2. My children’s interest level

Here are the genre baskets I ended up with along with some of my favorite books and series for each. (Just a heads up that most of these titles are chapter books/novels unless otherwise noted. Scroll to the bottom if you are only interested in picture books!) Also, these titles are NOT linked- because that would just take forever… AND also because I have full-faith in your Amazon search bar skills! 😉

*Book Levels: Most of these books were purchased by me for my third grade classroom. Please keep in mind, however, that I had students reading at all different levels…so these books can be appropriate as independent readers for kids reading at any level from 1st through probably 5th grade, OR as read-alouds for almost any elementary school age! It’s all going to depend on your kiddo, their reading skills, and their interests. And please remember when your hesitant reader chooses a book you are less than thrilled about….
- FANTASY- Emily Windsnap series, The Secrets of Droon series, The Jewel Kingdom series, Pixie Tricks series, Dragon Slayer’s Academy Series, Tashi, Rainbow Magic series, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter (duh!)
- MYSTERY- A to Z Mysteries Series, Calendar Mysteries, The Nancy Drew Notebooks, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew (for younger readers!), Cam Jansen series, Nate the Great series, The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series, Third Grade Detectives series, Jigsaw Jones series, Geronimo Stilton series, The Boxcar Children, Magic Tree House Series
- PICTURE/HOLIDAY BOOKS- Picture books are my FAVORITE and I have so so so many to list. Instead, scroll to the bottom of this post for a separate link all about picture books. And for my favorite Holiday books, make sure you follow along as I post my favorites each month. You can find my Halloween Favorites HERE and my Thanksgiving Favorites HERE. (Christmas coming soon!!)
- PHOTO ALBUMS- What better way to give your dusty old family photo albums some action than putting them out on display? Encourage your kiddos to check out the albums just like they would any other book! I make mine at Shutterfly or Artifact Uprising
- NON-FICTION- (my stash is mostly picture books, like these:) Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America, Smart Kids series, The Eyewitness Books series. I also make sure I toss any non-fiction books for whatever holiday I have on display into this bin. I like the girls to be able to notice that there is a difference between fiction and non-fiction books even if they are both in the same general category (ie “Holiday”). I kept the picture book and non-fiction bins close to each other on the shelves for this reason!
- REALISTIC FICTION- (my stash is mostly picture books, like these:) Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, Abe Lincoln: The boy who loved books by Kay Winters, If You Were There When…series
- BOOKS ABOUT GIRLS-Sounds super random but I had SO many general “fiction” books that had girls as the main character. I just had to give them their own bin. My next task is to start a bin with books about boys!Ivy & Bean series, Willimena Rules series, Utterly Me Clarice Bean, The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes series, Katie Kazoo Switcheroo series, Judy Moody series, Clementine, Portraits of Little Women: Beth’s Story, A Little House Chapter Book series (mini chapter books based on the beloved classic novels!), The American Girl books, Junie B. Jones (although her sassy mouth is not my favorite. I may not let Q read these…girlfriend doesn’t need ANY ideas.)
- BOOKS ABOUT ANIMALS- Pony Pals series, The Saddle Club Series, A Dog Called Kitty, Shiloh, Where the Red Fern Grows, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, The Critter Club series, Snot, Big Apple Barn, Animal Ark series
- LEVEL 2 READ-ALOUDS: (Note:These are the chapter books that we read aloud at night together before bed. I created this system of leveling chapter books to create an easy system and language for the kids when we are choosing books to read together at night. I consider Level 1 read-alouds to be picture books and small “I Can Read” type books.) Level 2 are the shorter, more simple chapter books; ie books that may take a us a few nights to get through. The Adventures of Sophie Mouse series, Invisible Stanley, Lady Lollipop, The Littles series, Horrible Harry series, The Chocolate Touch, Toys Go Out, Mercy Watson series, The Hundred Dresses, Elmer and the Dragon, Sarah Plain and Tall, The Beast in Ms. Rooney’s Room, The Chalk Box Kid, Andy Shane and the Very Bossy Dolores Starbuckle, Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings
- LEVEL 3 READ-ALOUDS:These chapter books that I refer to as Level 3 will be the books that are a bit thicker and might take us a week or more to get through. The Penderwicks, Little House on the Prairie series, Poppy, Mr. Tucket, The Magician’s Elephant, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Charlotte’s Webb, When You Reach Me, The Wizard of Oz, James and the Giant Peach, The Velveteen Rabbit, Tree House, The Dollhouse People series, No Flying in the House
- DAHL, BLUME, CLEARY:I had an abundance of books from these three authors so I combined the books and gave them their own bin. Freckle Juice, Super Fudge, The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Ramona the Pest, James and the Giant Peach, Boy, Muggie Maggie, George’s Marvelous Medicine…all the greats!
- BIOGRAPHIES: The Who Was _________ series, Dear America series, Time for Kids: Biographies are a few of my favs!
- INDEPENDENT NOVELS:These are mostly older classics that the kids may want and/or need to read later in life for school…or hey, maybe pleasure! 😉 A Wrinkle in Time, Bridge to Terabithia, The Indian in the Cupboard, Anne of Green Gables, Black Beauty, Bunnicula, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Maniac Magee, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Holes, Little Women, The Twenty One Balloons, The Hobbit
- POETRY: Some Days Other Days, Runny Babbit, A Family of Poems by Caroline Kennedy, A Pet for Me Poems, I’m Still Here in the Bathtub, This is Just to Say, *Also consider binding & including poems your own children have written!
- SCHOOL/WRITING:First Day Jitters, The First 100 Days, The Kissing Hand, Amelia’s Notebook, Miss Nelson is Missing, A Writer’s Notebook, Diary of a Worm, Officer Buckle and Gloria, A Fine Fine School
- *MOM’S FAVS: I thought it was important to have my own bin, both to actually store my old books and to show my kids that I also love to read…even though they are the reason I hardly have time to anymore! 😉
- *BOOK DROP BIN: I didn’t want the girls throwing the books into any bin when they were finished with them, but I wanted to encourage them to explore and not be afraid to “mess up” the library, so I added a Book Drop Bin. When they are finished with a book (or a pile of books more likely), I ask them to please put them into the bin so that I can make sure they get put away properly. Q is kind of an exception since she’s pretty good at remembering where they go! Cub is still a work in progress! And me? I’m pretty much just living out all my Librarian dreams over here. 😉
CONTAINERS AND BINS

Posting this here again so you don’t need to go back to the “Part One” post. All bins and baskets I used for the library are from The Container Store. I’ve linked them again for you, below!

metal bins |white plastic bins | baskets | book stand | book drop bin

|bin labels | acrylic book divider

PICTURE BOOKS & A Blog Collab

Picture books just happen to be my favorite books right now. Maybe it’s because of the gorgeous illustrations or maybe it’s because these are the books my kids are most into at the moment. But, since I’ve “talked” for waaaay too long here, I’m going to direct you over to my sweet friend Lauren’s blog, Lauren and Littles.

Lauren and I actually taught together for several years before we became mommies. Lauren has her Master’s Degree in Education and specializes in reading…so basically she knows what she’s talking about!

Lauren is covering some of her favorite picture books in several different genres and talking a little bit about how to build a library for children ages birth to seven. How fun! So, hurry up and head on over to her page, I promise you won’t be disappointed! Click HERE for Lauren’s Post.

GIVEAWAY!

And don’t forget to enter our contest over on Instagram! Lauren and I are giving away a “Little Home Library” Starter Kit including a cute Canvas Tote Bag from Out of Print, a $50 shop credit to Pearl & Jane (for some super cute book-nook garland!) AND a $50 gift card to Amazon to help you get started (or continue building) your very own home or school (yay, teachers!) library.

Best of Luck!!!
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November 14, 2017
Thanksgiving & Fall Books
{cute Thanksgiving garland from Pearl & Jane}

Ok, you asked and here they are!

My favorite books for Thanksgiving & Fall… enjoy!

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant

This book is a classic….hello, it’s Cynthia Rylant! Just read the little exerpt above. This book is a staple for your library, Thanksgiving or not! 😉

Thankful by Eileen Spinelli

Short and sweet book about the everyday blessings to be thankful for, with gorgeous illustrations by Archie Preston. Each page says “The ___ is thankful for ___.” For example, “The Crafter is thankful for glitter and glue.” Super sweet and easy for children to relate to!

The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh

A much longer book (several paragraphs per page) but it beautifully tells the story of the first thanksgiving with gorgeous illustrations. For those of you who don’t know, Alice Dalgliesh is also the author of The Courage of Sarah Noble. Girl knows how to tell a story! 😉

Yellow Time by Lauren Stringer

“A symphony of yellow..” This book describes Autumn in such a simple, poetic way and the illustrations are just as beautiful as the text! A new book for our house, but a new favorite just the same!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak

This is a series that goes through the transition of all the seasons and I already have the “autumn to winter” one on order. The illustrations are beyond and the text so super sweet. A child walks through town and nature saying “hello” to the people, animals, and forces of nature she comes across and they all respond with how they are making preparations for the changes coming. It ends with a “goodbye” to summer. This one is so good!!

Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin

This is a series (there is a “Cranberry” book for almost every holiday) and they are such gems you guys! Do you remember them? Classic books from the 1970s about a grandmother who lives on a “lonely cranberry bog in New England”. This story is so sweet AND includes good old grandma’s secret cranberry bread recipe. I believe this book went out of print for a while but it’s back now, so hurry up and grab it!

Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer

This book tells the simple tale of the acorn and all that comes “because of that acorn”: seeds, trees, fruit, animals, etc. A sweet story about the life-cycles in nature. There is even a page in the back of the book with more information about and definitions of concepts mentioned in the book, including ways you can help preserve nature. Plus, a portion of the proceeds from every sale go to support the work of the Natural Resources Defense Council. So while it may not be your typical “thanksgiving” book, it definitely fits in the “fall” category and opens a nice dialogue for children about respect and care for nature and our environment…which we can all be thankful for!

Sharing the Bread by P. Miller and J. McElmurry

Love the rhyme and repetition in this old fashioned story of how one family prepares for thanksgiving!

The Girl and The Bicycle by Mark Pett

This is a true picture book. As in, there are NO words. But, I’m telling you, no words are needed. The story tells itself and my girls were mesmerized by the illustrations. We all had fun talking about what we thought was happening on each page and it was a nice change of pace to have a book “discussion” as opposed to a book “reading” together. The story is about one little girl’s determination and hard work to get a bicycle she realllly wants and has an interesting twist at the end. Such a great life-lesson and discussion book. Love it!! This book definitely makes you think outside the box and discuss what Thanksgiving is really about.

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

A fun story about Fall leaves and the shapes they take! My kiddos love collecting the colorful Fall leaves when we travel back to the East Coast. This would be a great intro book to a leaf craft!

The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone

It’s a classic tale about the gathering of supplies to make a meal. It’s about working together to get the job done. This one has Thanksgiving written all over it! As in, somebody get their butt into the kitchen to help mommy peel the potatoes. 😉

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

…need I say more?

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall

A sweet book that follows a tree as it changes through the seasons and eventually ends with its fruit in an apple pie.

When Autumn Comes by Robert Maass

A great non-fiction alternative with photos that will leave you feeling nostalgic for 1984. 😉 But seriously, this book reminds of “the good old days” and I love introducing non-fiction to the girls as often as possible!

This Little Turkey by Aly Fronis

Cute little rhyming book that goes to the tune of “This Little Piggy”. Obsessed with the color palette in the illustrations!!

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson

This cute little fox sees the leaves falling and thinks there is a big problem…then he finds out what “falling leaves” actually bring… very sweet!

The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger

This is a cute story about one little leaf who is just too afraid to fall. And I know I say this a lot, but the illustrations are SO good!!

Ask Me by Bernard Waber

A story of a father and his daughter, chatting as they stroll. This book is so fun to read aloud in the two voices of the dad and the daughter. It takes place in the Fall and is about love and bonding, so I’m grouping it with my Thanksgiving books!

Thanksgiving is Here! by Diane Goode

Tells the story of one loud, large family over the course of Thanksgiving Day. Short and sweet with adorable illustrations. Makes you wish you had a big giant family, and if you already do-it reminds you of why you love them! haha!

10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston

Cute little rhyming & counting book

Thank you, Thanksgiving by David Milgrim

One sentence per page, saying “thank you for ___.” Illustrations are super cute and leaves lots of room for discussion on each page rather than just reading text.

Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation by Diane Stanley

Grandmother takes her grand kids traveling through time in this series, and in this specific book- back to Plymouth Plantation. She teaches and explains the history as they go exploring. A bit of longer read, but educational for older kids, or those always asking those “Why?” and “How Come?” questions. (aka, Quinlin)

The Magic Tree House: Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne

A Chapter book for older kids, or great as a read-aloud! We’ll be reading this together as our bedtime book in November!

Happy Reading (& eating) my friends! 😉
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November 1, 2017
Little Home Library- Part ONE
So, a few weeks ago my sister organized a little nook in her game room with her old teaching books and totally inspired me to do the same. I also used to teach and knew I had numerous bins up in the attic filled to their brims with books. I also had this wall of shelves in our piano room that was just filled with random decor and stacks of unread magazines. Thus, the plan for our Little Home Library was born! I’m pretty happy with how it turned out…plus the girls are reading more than ever, which is always a plus!

SETTING UP THE LIBRARY:
1. Clearing- The first thing I did was clear the shelves and put aside the (very few) items that I wanted to keep. I couldn’t believe how much of the stuff on those shelves was just “filler junk”! Disclaimer: photo was taken AFTER I started dismantling the shelves…I’m not a complete savage! 😉
2. Sorting- Next I went into the attic to bring down my book bins. I had completely underestimated how many books I had up there! I sat on the floor and sorted through every single solitary book. It took me days! I made sure to keep age appropriate books, books that were classics and good/clean reads, books that were in good shape, books that were educational, and books I knew my kids could grow into. I made a “toss” pile that included any duplicates, books I didn’t think were age appropriate, books in bad shape, and books that looked dated or had content I wasn’t sure I wanted my kids reading. Then I made a “maybe” pile. The next step was to sort my “keep” books into genre piles. I then looked at each genre I had created and pulled from the “maybe” pile if any piles were looking a bit sparse.
3. Donating- There is SUCH a great need for books out there, so I made sure that every single book in my “toss” pile was donated. Most went to Human Rights Initiative, a local non-profit that recently had all of their books stolen from their waiting room and “lend a book” library.
4. Containers- After I had my general “genre” piles made I headed out to my motherland, aka The Container Store. I made sure to measure my shelves before I went so I knew the depth and height of each shelf and most importantly, the length so I could measure how many bins would fit across. I chose a selection of all white, grated metal and straw baskets. I wanted to use mixed materials to give the shelves more dimension. I also found some great labels and book display items at Container Store. I’ve linked them all below.
5. Setting up Shop- When I got home, I played around with where I wanted all my empty baskets to go. Once I liked the way they were arranged I started filling them with books. I made sure to get all different sized baskets because not all of my genres had the same amount of books. (For example I had a TON of Fantasy and Mystery books but only a small handful of biographies.)
6. Decorating- I then went in and filled in some of the empty spaces with decor. I used a book display, a small plant, and a letter board. I wanted to break up all the bins but also keep the shelving unit clean and simple. I also replaced the hardware on the drawers. It was a cheap fix and (I think)gave the unit a huge facelift!
Ta Da…Here’s the whole finished product:

GETTING STARTED

Don’t have extra wall space or a ton of books? That’s totally fine! You don’t need either to start your own home library! There are some great cubby systems you can purchase like THIS one from Land of Nod that don’t take up much space and can still be easily turned into a library. Also, it’s ok for libraries to take years to build!

Here are some tips for starting an at-home library from scratch:
- Start with gathering up books from around your house (I’m sure you have more than you think lying around!)
- Purchase a few new books at your child’s reading level. There are great places like Half-Priced Books (or any used book store and/or flea market) where you can get books for cheap. Not in the budget? Go to your local library and check out a whole bunch of books, plop them into your at-home library and then cycle them out after you find your child “getting sick” of them.
- Books are a great gift idea! Especially with the holidays coming up…create a book wish-list with your little ones. Get them excited about books and reading by changing their mindset of how much fun books can be.
- Think outside your typical wheelhouse. Your kid loves the Fancy Nancy books? Great. But also introduce him/her to some books from drastically different genres. You never know if your kid is interested in something until you expose them to it! Grab them a National Geographic book on animals and maybe a picture book about the 50 states or outer space, or maybe an awesome book of poetry for kids. You might be surprised by which books your child reaches for, given some options!
- Start with just a few genres, maybe 3-5, and then gauge your child’s interest and build your library up accordingly! A few great starter genres: Fiction Picture Books, Non-Fiction Books, Holiday Books, Chapter Books (for reading aloud together).
- Cycle Books in-and-out. Always keep some books tucked away so that your kid’s choices aren’t so overwhelming and they never get tired of their selections! This is especially fun with holiday books! My kids only get to look at the Halloween books when I take them out in the Fall and it makes them that much more excited to read them!
- Swap with a friend! Take on this project with a friend/neighbor and cycle out your books by swapping with each other. When your books need a “time out” from your house, send them on over to your friend’s library and have her give you a bin in return. Viola, brand new books for your kids to borrow! Just make sure you take good care of them and return them in the shape you received them! 😉
- Have fun with it…make it into a REAL mini-library, complete with a book return bin, some fun signs, a few books out on display (rather than stacked), etc. I’m in love with these super adorable book stickers I had made on Zazzle! There are so many cute options, and an especially good idea if you plan on sharing books with friends!
- Remember: An In-Home Library doesn’t have to be extravagant! It can be as simple as any little space dedicated to displaying and storing a few books at your child’s level!
CONTAINERS AND BINS

All are from The Container Store. I’ve linked them below!

metal bins |white plastic bins | baskets | book stand | book drop bin |

bin labels | acrylic book divider

SUBSCRIBE

Don’t forget to check back in for “Part Two” where I’ll share all the category bins I created, some book/series recommendations for each genre, a fun blog share with a fellow book-nerd mama AND a fun giveaway…stay tuned and make sure you subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss anything I’ve got coming up (including my Thanksgiving book picks)!

Girls cute dresses from The Little Spoons

Letterboard & letters from Hobby Lobby

Step Stool is a vintage hand-me-down

Tent from Land of Nod (no longer avail, but similar HERE)

Halloween shelf decor from Paper Source
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October 27, 2017
Halloween Books
*UPDATE*

NEW Picks for Halloween 2018!!

The Way Home in the Night | Plume | The Midnight Library | The Soup Bone | Alpha Oops: H is for Halloween | No Kiss for Mother (not exactly “halloween” but that angry little cat just screamed, “Put me on your Halloween shelf!”| Rufus, the Bat Who Loved Colors | Tomi Ungerer Treasury (a new discovery for me Tomi is a little bitt off-the beaten path, with just a hint of darkness. Perfect for this time of year!)| They all Saw a Cat | Little Boo | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Version (illustrated novel- book one is a great starting point to introduce your kiddos to the world of Harry Potter before it gets too dark in later books!)| Hocus Pocus & The All New Sequel (novel- for older readers)

*Some of my all-time favorites*

Baby/Board Books

B is for Boo

This entire alphabet series is my favorite ever. Max has the “retro” one in his room and I just ordered the Christmas one as well!

Dracula, Edgar, Frankenstein

Hello, BabyLit books…need I say more? These books introduce even the youngest of babies to the classics with simple word/illustration associations!

Five Little Ghosts

Cutest little rhyming book…and there other books for other seasons!

If You’re Spooky and You Know It

I think you know how this one goes….super fun to sing along with little ones!

Five Little Pumpkins

Our FAV Halloween song!!! My girls LOVE to sing this…and we even act it out! So super cute. Used to do this one with my class!

EEK! Halloween!

Ardyn is 100% OBsessed with the Sandra Boynton books! Like, she sleeps with them. This one is short, sweet, and funny…just like the rest.

Favorite Picture Books

Spookly the Square Pumpkin-Another from my teaching days…BEFORE it was a movie! This book is so good for teaching tolerance and differences! It’s a MUST!

Vampirina Ballerina-I know you’ve seen this book all over the blogs, BUT did you know it is a series…AND a new cartoon on Disney!?

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything-This is a staple in our house- a fun “spooky” book of repetition. My girls LOVE this and have it memorized! A Halloween staple!

The Bad Seed-Maybe it’s because I used to be in love with this movie, but when I saw this title, I knew I HAD to have it! “RHO-DA! You kill that little boy with your tap shoes?!!” Anyone, anyone?? Don’t worry, this book is just a play on words and not dark like the film or scary at all! Tells the story of a little seed who had a rough start and turned “baaaad”…but is he really that bad after all? People (and seeds) can change, you know! 😉

No Such Thing-Super cute story…and it’s also a “look and find” book which my girls LOVE!

How to Make Friends with a Ghost-Gorgeous illustrations! This book does read more like a “how to manual” than a story though. Some of the annotations and jokes might go right over smaller children’s heads. And, just a heads up, this book follows the little girl in her quest to befriend this ghost as she grow into adulthood. At the end, she does pass away (as an old woman) and the last illustration shows her becoming a ghost and floating away with her ghost friend. Just a heads up in case you’d rather not broach that topic with your children. I certainly had no idea.

Leo: A Ghost StoryOne of our very favs!

Cat’s Night Out-Super sweet rhyming book! Plus the cover made me think of the cell block tango from Chicago! 😉

The Scariest Book Ever-Super cute interactive book. Ardyn thought it was super funny!

Shadow and Flashlight-Two gorgeous “picture books”…all you need is your imagination. Ardyn loves these because the pictures tell the stories all by themselves.

Creepy Pair of Underwear-Little bit of a longer read, but funny for kids a tiny bit older and for those “potty humor” loving kiddos! 😉

Bonaparte Falls Apart…and needs his friends to help put him back together! Super cute friendship story!

Room on the Broom-We read it last night for our bedtime book and I forgot how fun it was. Definitely a holiday favorite!

The Night World-Gorgeously illustrated story about how the world looks in the darkest, very earliest hours of the morning…

Humbug Witch-This book is a new find for us and we are all obsessed. Such a fun read…with a little surprise ending!

Go Away Big Green Monster-A Classic for Halloween, and ANYTIME. This is such a fun book to read aloud..especially with those kiddos who may have monster fears. bonus points for there being an interactive puppet! I linked it HERE.

And a few other sweet picture books that will certainly liven up your Halloween “book shelfie” game! 😉

Gilbert the Ghost

Ghosts

Little Owl Lost

Ghosts in the House

Happy Reading!
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October 7, 2017