Tell it again

These days it seems that all Lily wants to do while we are at home is read. She has shown a mild interest in books for some time, but in the past week, it has become her obsession and is almost all she wants to do. Of course, we are happy about this development. But Lily being Lily, there are definitely some rules to her story hours.

Her seat of preference while looking at books is on mommy's lap which needs to be positioned right next to the bookshelf. This is a bit of a sore spot for daddy who had to remind Lily tonight that he was a double major in college, with one of his majors being English Literature. As impressive as that may be to a one-year-old, she was not swayed from her mother's lap. (As a side note, who double majors in English Literature and Biology anyway? There should be some kind of study about the eventual career paths of these anomalies, but that is another story entirely...)

Also, Lily is very particular about which books are good enough to actually sit and listen to. For the majority of books, she will allow maybe one or two pages to be read, but then she very decisively lets us know that she is no longer interested and will no longer tolerate proceeding along with this highly uncaptivating rubbish. There are others, however,that receive a heartpounding smile and gasps of anticipation at the mere glimpse of them. If you are interested in joining the Lillian Meyer Deetz Book Club (fame second only to Oprah's book club), then you may consider picking up a couple of the following:

• Goodnight Moon *Absolutely an essential read. And while you're at it, you should read it about a dozen times each night. That great green room never disappoints.
• Clifford's Peekaboo *We find him in all the familiar places every night - under blocks, with socks, under rugs, inside mugs...
• First words
• Touch and Feel Farm
• My Fuzzy Friends
• Moo, Baa, La La La
• Shiny Touchy Smelly Colors *By far, the most fun to read with her because daddy taught her to smell the scratch and sniff areas - so cute!! (Thanks to Tori for the book.)

Some honorable mentions include:

• The Going to Bed Book
• But Not the Hippopotamus
• Barnyard Dance
• Where is Baby's Belly Button?
• Daddy Kisses
• Mommy Hugs
• Belly Button Book

Some books that Lily does not like here or there or anywhere include:

• I Love You, Little One
• Blue Hat, Green Hat
• Sheep in a Jeep
• Sheep in a Shop (apparently the sheep aren't interesting regardless of their locale)
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
• Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree (ditto for the monkeys)

We are currently very limited in our selection because we have many more hardcover and paperback books than we have board books. However, the board books are the only ones that are easily manipulated by her little fingers and the only ones that can withstand her not-so-gentle handling. So, we have some more board books on the way from Amazon and Scholastic to add to our ever-expanding collection. Hopefully, some Eric Carle and Dr. Seuss titles will add some spice to our nights (how sad is that?)

In the near future, I will be changing my blog template to show Lily's current favorite children's books instead of my own favorites in this genre. Really, who cares which ones I like? The real test is whether or not a toddler will come back to the same book time and time again with equal zeal. Of course, since I'm the one buying the books, my own tastes will at least set the parameters for now. (The careful reader may have noticed my propensity for Sandra Boynton books which span all three of Lily's lists.) But, truly, it has been so much fun to watch as her likes and dislikes are revealed. We are loving this age!!