The Book Basket

In our house, reading plays a big role. We almost never say no to a book order at school, a trip to the library, or a bargain book bin at a garage sale. I love to read. I always have, probably always will. I'm hoping to instill a love of reading in my kids early, and I think so far that I am succeeding. My oldest LOVES the Magic Tree House series, and the other two climb on my lap all the time with worn copies of their favorite stories.

At Christmas this year, I set a basket of holiday stories out for the kids to enjoy in our living room. As I packed up the books, I decided to keep the basket out since it seemed that we were reading more than before. With the books so easily accessible in our living room the kids were much more apt to grab a story instead of grabbing the remote. So I kept the basket. Every month I take it upstairs to their large bookshelf in the playroom and fill it with new stories. January was "Classic Children's Literature" month in our house, so we had books like The Little Engine That Could, Cat in the Hat, Mother Goose, The Adventures of Frog and Toad, and Make Way for Ducklings. With the beginning of February I changed them all over to books relating to this month. So we have Woodrow, the White House Mouse, House Mouse and Senate Mouse, The Mixed Up States of America, Love and Kisses, and Guess How Much I Love You? just to name a few. March will probably bring spring stories, April will bring Easter stories, and so on and so forth. It's a great way to keep reading interesting to the kids, it's helping me see what topics I'm lacking in for them, and creating more quality time with my kids. We've found a winner in our house, maybe your house needs a book basket too?