Lincoln's Reading Corner December 2012

Reading has been a bigger success this month than it was in October and November - yay!  We're still reading some old favorites frequently, but a lot of new books have been added to the Lincoln-approved list! 

Side note - we tried really hard to do this 25 Days of Christmas book advent idea.  It was kind of an epic fail.  First off, I procrastinated forgot about wrapping our books until December 12.  No problem, I figured it would just be the 12 Days of Christmas!  And...it probably would have worked.  Except Lincoln only likes to read books that he loves.  Try anything else with this kid, he will shake his head and shout "NO" (which often sounds like "doe") and throw the book aside.  I think we had two or three books in the whole Christmas collection that he gave the time of day.  There was also the slight problem that several nights we had already put Lincoln to bed and realized....we never gave him a book today.  Oops.  However, we did learn that the child really enjoys ripping open presents.  After opening one book (and tossing it aside), he would just run back and point at the stack, wishing to open another.  We'll give the book advent another try next year - I'm hoping it goes better then!

And now - here are Lincoln's Top Books in December 2012!

1. I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown!  This is a fabric book that I sewed for Lincoln last Christmas.  Last year, he wouldn't even look at it - this year we at least got to read half of it to him.  I consider that progress.  I don't know that the fabric version is available for purchase anywhere; I think I bought the fabric at Jo-Ann.

2. Biscuit's Pet & Play Christmas.  This was probably his favorite of the Christmas advent books - and probably just because it features a puppy.  Puppies are a big hit around here.  No that does not mean we are getting a dog.  It's a fun little interactive board book.

3. A Christmas Carol.  This is a title in my new favorite board book series from BabyLit.  This version of A Christmas Carol is a Colors Primer and features a different character or story element paired with a color on each page.  Example:  Silver Chains.  If you're a fan of classic literature, please check out this whole series.  They are awesome.

4. Peek-a-Boo, I Love You.  This lift-a-flap book is in serious danger of getting ripped to pieces, since he loves it right now.  The last page features a mirror so baby can see himself in the book, but I can't get Lincoln to look at it. Ha!

5. Goodnight Moon.  I love, love, love that this is one of Lincoln's favorite books right now!  We have started reading it every night before bed and I love the cuddles.  He figured out that he likes this book because it has pictures with clocks.  Seriously.  Of all the ridiculous things.

6. Little Blue Truck.  I think I may have featured this book before, but we found the board book version at Target and gave it to him for Christmas.  He.loves.it.  We read it at least two or three times a day.

7. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Goofy Baby.  This month's reading list would definitely not be complete if it did not feature the current obsession of Mickey Mouse.  I requested every Mickey Mouse Clubhouse board book our library owns.  And they are all popular around here.

8. Where are the Missing Leaves?  Another Mickey Mouse book - this one is a lift-the-flap and was already torn in a few places when we checked it out from the library.  It's living on top of our piano until it is returned to prevent further damage.

9. Is that Mickey?  Definitely one of the most-read books this month!  It's all about how Mickey's friends are planning him a celebration, but they can't find him!  I'll probably buy this one for our collection if he continues to enjoy the library copy.

10. Mickey's Book of Trucks.  This book is available on Amazon, but I found it in the $1 bin at Target a few months ago!  We gave Lincoln this one for Christmas, along with a small plush Mickey, and they have been a big hit.  This book just has pictures of trucks with the name of each one on each page.  Nothing fancy, but since it is a combination of two of his very favorite things on this earth, it is extremely popular!

11. God Loves You Very Much.  This giant VeggieTales board book has been picked up several times this week.  I am kind of surprised he likes it, it has a lot of words compared to some of his other favorites, but he has let Andrew read it all the way through several times.

12. The Berenstain Bears: Treat Others Kindly.  I think it is great that the recent Berenstain Bear stories feature valuable lessons for kids, with Bible verses to back them up.  This 3-in-1 Book Collection contains stories that teach about forgiveness, gossiping, and respecting your elders.  I'll be honest, Lincoln won't sit through this entire book yet - but we are working on it!  And something fun that I love about this book?  In the third story, Papa Bear is wearing Honey Bear in a carrier.  Babywearing exists in children's literature - woohoo!

Whew!  I wonder where our books and imaginations will take us in 2013.  Do you and your kids have any reading goals in your resolution list?  If you're looking for more reading ideas, you can check out all our recent favorites here!

Thanks to Zondervan for providing my Berenstain Bears sample book.  I received no compensation and all views expressed are my own.  For more info, you can read my Disclosure Policy.