Dear Santa, Part II
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Once I hit "publish" on the post about Nora's Christmas list, I realized that I neglected to include some very important wish list items... like movies and BOOKS!
I've mentioned before that we don't let Nora watch a lot of TV--although she is exposed to some daily in the background at daycare--but we're still starting a collection of Disney and other animated movies for her (and any future siblings). We discovered on our recent roadtrip to Virginia that she enjoys movies far more than we thought she could at this age. Rio is her favorite thus far. She "dances" to the music, which is pretty much the most hilarious thing I've ever seen.
We've always read books to her on a daily basis, but now it's even more fun, as she's really "into" them. She's actually choosy about which ones we read to her; we'll pick a book from her rack for bedtime, and if she isn't in the mood for that particular story, she'll push it away. Who knew that she'd be so opinionated this early in life? And I don't know if it gets any more cute than seeing her sitting on the floor by herself, quietly flipping through the pages of a book. MY HEART.
One of her current favorites is The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which is possibly a "boring" favorite, since it's such a classic. But she can't get enough of sticking her little pointer finger in each and every one of the holes in the board book.
Anyway, with all of this said, we couldn't really pass up an opportunity to add to her growing movie and book collections. Here are some of the movies and books that made it on Nora's list:
Now, for books, you'll notice a theme:
OK, as you can probably tell by now, we did an informal audit and determined that we didn't think Nora has enough Christmas-themed books. We're looking to make up for that. Anyway, I absolutely loved the Little Critter books when I was growing up, so we've been introducing Nora to them as well. We have a few that I took from my childhood book collection at my mom's house, and we have a few that have been purchased new along the way. Nora seems to like them so far, too.
As I explained when I discussed the Little People Nativity Set, we want to be sure to make an effort to teach Nora the real reason for the season. These books (there is also a What is Thanksgiving? book) have good reviews for their message and teaching of the meaning behind these holidays.
So, that wraps up our movie and book wish lists for Christmas 2011. What classic (or new, or unusual) titles are on your children's Christmas lists?
I just really like Karen Katz. We have the "Counting Kisses" book, and it's a regular read in our house. I think "Where is Baby's Belly Button?" is her most popular, but oddly, we don't have that one yet, either.
(All things Sandra Boynton, including this Boynton's Greatest Hits, Volume I)
I was pretty unfamiliar with Sandra Boynton prior to having Nora. We received The Going to Bed Book as a gift after she was born, and it is one of our favorites to read to Nora, and one of Nora's favorites to have read to her. Short, simple, soothing rhymes. (Although, I will never understand why they all take a bath--scrub scrub scrub--and find their pajamas--big and small-- before going up to exercise? What the hell?) Once again, Nora was lucky to receive this set last week from her Secret Santa, Cooper. :)
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5 comments:
My nephew was born last October so he's just a month younger than Nora. He loves the llama llama books! He has all of them but his favorite is Llama Llama Red Pajama. I love Llama Llama Holiday Drama! :) http://www.llamallamabook.com/
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I always say that when we read 'The Going to Bed Book' too! Who exercises after brushing their teeth before bed? :)
Two things... First of all, you're going to love Tangled and Despicable Me. My husband is a huge Disney fan and we've been collecting Disney movies since we got married four years ago. (We *almost* have the entire animated collection and are now working on the live action.) We bought Tangled on a whim one night in Target and I was surprised how much I liked it. Good pick! And Despicable Me is actually one of our favorite movies. We watch it every few months and it always gives us a good chuckle and is heartwarming in the end.
Secondly, if you're looking for Christmas books I would recommend A Story a Day 'Til Christmas edited by Nan Roloff. I don't think it's in print anymore but it's a great collection if you can find one used at a good price. My family had this when I was a kid and the stories are all about the real reason for the season and that giving is better than receiving. My family read it every Christmas growing up and I'm enjoying sharing it with my own daughter now.
Thanks for these posts! You've given me some good ideas for my little girl. Merry Christmas!
Sandra Boynton is one of our favorites. Kira LOVES them! She has "Moo Baa La la la" & "the going to bed book." The first actually has taught her what "cow" & "sheep" are andd what they say. We discovered this the other day, "Kira what does a cow say?" "Mooo" "what does a sheep say" "ba baaa" MY DEAR HEART MELTED. We're getting more for xmas too, or should I say Santa has packed em in his sack! :)
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