Instill a love of reading from the beginning and they will become lovers of literature later on in life!
Tatum and I read at least three books every night before bed, and sometimes she gets on a kick where she will choose a favourite book or two and want to read ONLY those for days on end. It can get very mind numbing at times when you have to re-read the Disney Princess Stories collection or Elmo’s Shapes over and over, but less so when she’s chosen a classic book that was one of my favourites as a child. I love reading books with Tatum that I read as a little one; I can relive and share my childhood memories with her and we create new memories together.
If you haven’t read any of your favourite childhood books with your kids yet, here’s a good list of some classic books to get you started! If you have a smaller child/baby, take a look at Steph’s list of books for babies!
Aesop’s Fables
I loved reading Aesop’s Fables as a child, and so far Tatum does too. The beautiful illustrations of different animals and creative story telling keep her engaged throughout each tale, and she inadvertently learns a lesson or two with the simple morals at the end of each story. Win win!
Madeline
“….the smallest one was Madeline.” I was such a fan of Madeline growing up. I loved that she was small, that she was brave, and I loved reading of all of her different adventures. The simple drawings and rhymes are fun for kids to listen to, and having the stories set in Paris is a great way to start conversations about what life is like in different countries.
The Beatrix Potter Collection
Who else has their stack of teeny white books from the Beatrix Potter’s Nursery Rhymes lying around somewhere? I think most adults have this collection of books from their childhood. I recently just pulled my collection out for Tatum to read, and we’ve been having fun reading and talking about how differently people spoke back then and looking at the beautiful illustrations. So far the favourites have been Appley Dapply’s Nursery Rhymes (one of my old favourites!), The Tale of Two Bad Mice, and The Tale of Tom Kitten. Every child needs to read this collection of books.
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Is there anyone out there who hasn’t read this book? This one is a bit long, but once your child has a better attention span, it’s a fun one to read. It’s a great way to teach rhyming to kids and it’s so silly and fun that they won’t even realize they’re learning 
Dr. Seuss has a ton of books that are family favourites, but this one is at the top of my list!
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
This one is a must-read book for all kids. This book was published in 1972 and has continued to be a childhood favourite since then. This book is especially good to pull out when your child has had a bad day and needs a little cheering up. Like Alexander learns in the book, everyone has bad days sometimes, even people who live in Australia 
Did I miss any of your childhood favourites? Share them with me in the comments below!
{Franki}
