List of Great Children’s Books to Own

I grew up getting lost in books and stories – I loved books! But, I’ll be honest, I still can’t seem to get used to reading a book on Kindle, say on the iPad or phone, much less on audio. I don’t know why, but I simply just love the feel of the book, turning the pages and can I say, the smell of them! I’ve turned to Amazon for quick delivery on many of these titles as the children have received many of these titles during Christmas time and Three Kings Day. We will either gift them a book as stocking stuffers or as a present if the book is too large to fit in their stocking. I’ll even purchase some of these as gifts for the children’s book exchange at their schools!

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These are a few of the titles that I’ve gathered over time for my children, they range in ages from 22 months to 11 years old. They have a book shelf that houses these great titles.

I hope this list will help you build or add to your own children’s book collection!

Children’s Reading Books

For Babies or Preschoolers

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch – I’ll include this one here for ‘babies’ because it’s one I read to my 11 year old when she was teeny-tiny, it’s a must read to your babies, it’ll get you shedding a tear, or two!

Eric Carle Books – titles such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

Dr. Seuss Books – titles such as Green Eggs and Ham, Fox In Socks, ABC, Hop On Pop and I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today! – Among many other great titles!

Dr. Seuss Nusery, Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears A Who? Can You? – With Horton as a puppet!

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s Farm by Joy Cowley

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Happy Birthday Moon by Frank Asch

Clifford books, titles such as Clifford’s Good Deeds

Kevin Henkes books, titles such as A Parade Of Elephants

Raffi Songs to Read books, titles such as Down By The Bay

Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Pat-A-Cake! Curious George – Cute puppet book!

Tiger Tales books, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Llama, Llama books, titles such as Llama, Llama, Time To Share

Hey, Diddle, Diddle

Old MacDonald Had A Farm 

I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak

‘Look and Find’ Disney books, titles such as The Wild and from the Disney movie, Cars – These ‘look and find’ books are so fun!

Sandra Boynton books, titles such as The Going To Bed Book and Eek! Halloween! – Cute Halloween book for kids.

Board Book, titles such as First 100 Animals and Numbers Colors Shapes

Little America by Helen Foster James – Easy to understand, facts on America for little ones.

For Kids Learning to Read

I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson – Great book for little ones about loving yourself, as you are!

Rob Scotton books, titles such as Splat The Cat and Scaredy-Cat, Splat!

Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd

Judith Viorst books, titles such as Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

The Lunch Box Surprise by Grace Maccarone

Syd Hoff books, includes titles such as Danny and The Dinosaur and Sammy The Seal – Amazing books!

Margaret Wise Brown books, titles such as The Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon – Phenomenal books!

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton – Great for little ones who are growing a love for Dinosaurs!

Laura Numeroff books, titles such as If You Give A Mouse A Cookie and If You Give A Dog A Donut

Planets by Ellen Hasbrouck – Great book on the solar system.

Firebird by Misty Copeland – Misty is a real life ballerina, you don’t know who she is?! You must read her book here, it’s amazing!

‘Who Was’ books and ‘What Was’ books, titles such as Who Was King Tut? and What Was The Gold Rush?– Easy to understand for kids!

‘Smart About’ books, titles such as Smart About The Presidents by Jon Buller – Super fun facts on our presidents, like the ‘Teddy Bear’ being named after Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt!

Dav Pilkey books, titles such as Dog Man Lord of The Fleas and Dog Man and Cat Kid – From the creator of Captain Underpants, my 7 and 8 year old boys love these books!

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano – Great Thanksgiving book!

Biscuit Goes to School! by Alyssa Satin Capucilli – A story of a pet and his love for his boy owner!

A Girl Named Helen Keller by Margo Lundell

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

‘Junie B’ Barbara Park books, titles such as  Junie B., First Grader Boss of Lunch and Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth 

For Readers / Chapter Books

Wonder by R.J. Palacio – Absolutely amazing book, my 11 year old, loved it!

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Jerry Spinelly books, titles such as Third Grade Angels, Maniac Magee and Wringer 

Judy Blume books, titles such as Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Megan McDonald books, titles such as Judy Moody Gets Famous!

E.B. White books, titles such as Charlotte’s Web

Roald Dahl books, titles such as James and the Giant Peach

The Chocolate Fudge Mystery by Cam Jansen

Kate DiCamillo books, titles such as Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Desperaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling – My oldest recently began her fascination with Harry Potter and just began this first book.

For Both Babies and Older Children

Religious Books

‘Stories from the Bible’ books, titles such as Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors and David and Goliath 

Thank You, God, For Loving Me by Max Lucado

God’s Wonderful Plan – This book is amazing and it’s a pop-up book!

Thank You Prayer 

My Little Book of Prayers – This book includes the traditional prayers, from the Our Father to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, among others!

Daniel in the Lions’ Den by Flying Frog Publishing – Includes great pull-tabs, flaps and pop-ups!

Jesus Wants All Of Me – Kids Devotional

The Beginners Bible 

Break Through! Bible

Christmas Books

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg – A phenomenal one to own!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Clubhouse Christmas – A favorite of my 22 month old, as she loves all things Mickey Mouse.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

Frosty the Snowman 

The Story of Christmas by Patricia A. Pingry

Spanish / Spanglish Books

Mario Montenegro books, includes Spanish titles such as, Gonzalo El Cocodrilo, Historia De Dos Sapos and El Caballito De Palo

Monica Brown books, titles such as Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match – We love this book and the story throughout is both in Spanish and English. I’m still in need of other Monica Brown titles, because they’re just that amazing!

Hope my attempt to categorize the books has helped. And remember, books are always a great gift, no matter the time of year!

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Mom Life With Chiari is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I will not recommend or buy anything that I do not already own and love or would not use for myself and my family. I make a small commission when you make a purchase on any link my website provides at NO additional cost to you. Thank you in advance for supporting companies that support me!

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Know The Signs of Postpartum Depression vs Baby Blues

Hello all, if you didn’t know May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I wanted to share my own experience with postpartum depression – something few speak of.

While having a high risk pregnancy with my fifth child – due to Chiari, and off my Chiari  medication – due to the lack of medical knowledge on side effects the child may have, all resulted in postpartum depression. My decompression surgery for Chiari was done in 2013 and despite having had surgery, I continued to have chronic pain. I was also told of the possibility of a second surgery. The thought of a second surgery and being pregnant without taking pain medicine had me feeling an intense sadness. On September 2015, what I thought would be a quick trip to the ER for abdominal pain, ended in an emergency c-section. I’ve been through four prior c-sections and so when the baby didn’t cry, my motherly instinct told me something was wrong. In spite of my concern the nurses and doctors assured me everything was OK and the baby was taken to the hospital nursery. Once there he began to turn purple, began gasping for air and was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or NICU. His lungs were underdeveloped and he was not receiving enough oxygen. He would stay in NICU receiving medical treatment for the next 15 days. My depression just continued to grow. But, with a baby in NICU, making sure I was pumping enough breast milk to provide his nurses and thinking of the other children at home, I did not have to time to think of myself.

Baby #5, NICU 2015

Fast forward 2017, I was pregnant with my youngest, this again was considered a high risk pregnancy due to my Chiari diagnosis. After multiple trips to the ER with early contractions, I received steroid shots to help the babies lungs. She was born on February 2017 by emergency c-section. Her lungs were in great shape, thanks to the medication they had given me while still pregnant. She was still though considered a preemie and had to spend time in NICU for preventative measures. I again, continued to spiral in my depression. I knew it wasn’t the baby blues. She was the most perfect baby girl, with these piercing light eyes and there I was feeling no bond with my child. I unable to get out of bed – not because of the obvious pain from a c-section, but because I felt this internal sadness. The thought of even having to feed my new born overwhelmed me with anxiety and fear. I laid in my hospital bed not knowing how I would get up to visit my baby in NICU. The view of the door seemed eternal as if it would take miles of walking just to reach it. When I got home, the deep sadness continued. I mentioned it to my obstetrician and he assured me that it was the baby blues, but to have peace of mind, that I should go see a therapist. I didn’t.

Baby #6, NICU 2017

However, by the end of 2017, having to care for a new born, 5 other children and still feeling sad, anxious, uninterested in just about everything and fatigued, I sought help in form of a psychologist. I also began thinking what going to a therapist would mean, I felt a sense of embarrassment, what would people say if they’d find out, what would my family think, would they think I’m crazy, unstable, unfit?! The thoughts were overwhelming. It went against what I thought the world would think of me. But it became the best decision I could have made for myself and my family.

Know The Signs

Postpartum Depression (PPD): This occurs after the baby is born, you have insomnia, feel sadness, loss of appetite, noticing difficulty bonding with baby, irritability, loss of appetite, hopelessness, you find yourself not being able to concentrate. This requires medical diagnosis and if you go untreated, these symptoms can last months or even longer.

Versus

Baby Blues:  The symptoms for baby blues can be very similar to postpartum depression and can include mood swings. However, the symptoms are short lived, you experience them for a shorter amount of time. And with help from your spouse, partner and family, you can overcome the baby blues. The baby blues is the least severe of postpartum depression, it tends to be ‘normal’ for moms that have just given birth, however if they don’t go away in a few weeks, it may be postpartum depression.

 

If I could tell you anything from my experience with postpartum depression is not to wait. I waited and missed vital time in receiving medical help. I was too embarrassed to speak on feelings I thought people would view as lunatic and absurd! On the contrary, my family were the most supportive. The one thing I am in constant need, is the reminder that I shouldn’t care or think of what the world thinks of me. Put yourself first, your mental health is a priority. If you feel in need of mental help, seek it – because acknowledging that you need help is vital and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Also, speaking one day on this topic of postpartum depression, my therapist – whom also has patients at a local hospital, told me that the hospital is now screening pregnant women. They are screened before and after the birth of their child for signs of postpartum depression. How amazing is that! I can only say that we are truly moving in the right direction, just as a newborn needs care, the mental state of the mother does too. I can only hope that this same protocol is done in every Hospital nation wide, so that no mother goes untreated.

Happy Mental Awareness Month.

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Photo: Daniel Páscoa

OUR NICU BABE TURNS ONE!

A few days ago our youngest baby turned ONE! While I wish she’d stay one forever, I couldn’t be happier she’s reached this milestone. This mama had a tough time with the last three pregnancies and I am a true believer of someone being here for a reason – beyond my humble comprehension. My last two babies spent time in NICU and although I never had a set number of babies I’d have in my life, I’m so thankful God knew better and knew what our family needed.

So, I wanted to go back in time a bit and tell you my Hannah girl that you’ve come a long way since your time in NICU. I feel incredibly humbled and blessed that God chose me to be your mama and know I couldn’t adore you more than I already do. I love your resilience since day one, I love hearing your joy as you play with your sisters, I love your excitement when you see your brothers, I love your open mouth kisses to this mama’s cheeks, I love how I spend 10 minutes to do your hair yet you manage to remove it all in 1 and I love how you have us all wrapped in your chubby little finger.

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays ♥

Making her entrance February 2017

Born at 34 weeks

The day she leaves NICU and comes home

2017 – Baptism

– ♥ Mami