And the Winner is . . . Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

When I visit my three-year-old grandson, Jace, he asks, "Gamma Cafwine, you bwought books?" Of course I always bring a bag of books with me so I can answer yes. He will say, "Come, sit on the couch and wead."

If he is visiting at my house, after greeting me, he checks on Mack and Lightning, and puts them together.

Then he pays a visit to the reading room and gets a book for me to read. I love this little book case. I have hundreds of children's books and this gives me a place to put a few books out that I think specific grand-kids will enjoy. I  change the books in here frequently. I like that this shelf is sturdy, doesn't tip (the base is wider than the top), and allows a child to pick what they like. There are board book in the bottom and in the basket for the babies. 

Usually he chooses Pizza Pat by Rita Golden Gelman and illustrated by Will Terry or Opposites by Mary Novick and Sybel Harlin. Both of these books are darling and fun to read. 

A reading of Pizza Pat by me for Jace.

Today, however, he chose Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown. This book was published in 2012 and is a Caldecott Honor book. 

Jasper Rabbit loves carrots, especially those from Crakenhopper field, but he thinks he sees creepy carrots following him everywhere. He gets pretty creeped out until he can find a solution to keep the creepy carrots in Crakenhopper field away from him. The pictures are cute and are all done in shades of grey and carrot orange. The shadows are long and add to the sense of creepiness. 

I read this book to Jace four times, and then he said, "I'll read it." He sat and turned the pages and delighted in the creepy carrots, and then brought it back and wanted me to read it one more time.  We read Pizza Pat before it was time for him to go home. 

When he starts reading for himself, we may never see him again. He may get a stack of books, go to his reading place, and stay there for hours. I think he likes books as much as I do. 

I love how much he loves books, and I hope the joy he feels when opening a book, whether it be an old friend or a new one, will always be there for him. 

Find a good children's book today and read it to a child, even if that child is you. 

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.