And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini was published in 2013. This is an epic tale told in 421 pages, which is short for an epic. Hosseini does not waste words.

In the author's note, he says the title of the book was inspired by William Blake's poem "Nurse's Song.

357. Nurse’s Song

William Blake (1757–1827)

WHEN the voices of children are heard on the green,   And laughing is heard on the hill, My heart is at rest within my breast,   And everything else is still. ‘Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,         5   And the dews of night arise; Come, come, leave off play, and let us away   Till the morning appears in the skies.’ ‘No, no, let us play, for it is yet day,   And we cannot go to sleep;         10 Besides, in the sky the little birds fly,   And the hills are all cover’d with sheep.’ ‘Well, well, go and play till the light fades away,   And then go home to bed.’ The little ones leapèd and shoutèd and laugh’d         15   And all the hills echoèd. This poem really fits this story, and Hosseini has a poetic way of writing. He makes the characters and scenes come alive. This novel begins from Abdullah's point of view as he and his little sister travel to Kabul with their father. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but things don't go the way Abdullah thought they would. The story follows their lives into their old age, and it brings in many people whose lives intersect with theirs. I loved the parts about the feathers. Each chapter begins with the year, but I wish the name of the character whose point of view the story was being told from was also listed. I always had a page or so of wondering who I was reading. I think having the name up front would have helped me immensely. When I think of Hosseini's books, I can visualize what I've read much like watching a movie. If you liked A Thousand Splendid Suns, you will like this book. Michelle and her cute little grandson brought me three new books today for the NICU. Thank you, Michelle.  Read to a child today 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.

NICU Update 6/27/2017

Thirty-six years ago today, I lost my first baby of a set of twins. This was before doctors used ultrasound on a regular basis, so I didn't know that I still carried a second baby. On July 27th I would lose that little boy. Although I have often thought of those babies over the years, I didn't do anything to honor their lives until fall of 2014 when I read a book that a student's mother had written about pregnancy loss. She recommended doing something to honor the baby or babies you had lost.

Because I am a reading and English teacher, I decided that to honor my babies, I would gather books for a year and make a one time donation to the NICU in packets of five books each for the parents to read to their babies. I was able to get good deals on books because I was a teacher, so the the Scholastic book order helped immensely with this project as they generally have a one dollar book each month. At the end of the year, I had purchased 150 books for the NICU through Scholastic and other places. I miss those dollar sales now that I am out of the classroom.

I found that I couldn't stop gathering books for this project. My neighbor, Michelle, started gathering books for it as well. Several of my friends and friends of the NICU started sending books, and of course, I kept on purchasing books.

Recently, a NICU mom posted a link to my blog and many of her friends and family sent books. Today, on this anniversary of the loss of my babies, I received a package of books from her mother, Gail.

Thank you, Gail. You made my day. You didn't know that today had any significance to me, but I found it a tender mercy to receive these books today. I love touch and feel books for babies, and Mo Willems is awesome!

My friend, Michelle, brought me a Spanish book last night, which we always need.

• In 2015 we sent 73 packets but not every baby received one.
• In 2016 we sent 224 packets and most babies received one. 
• So far in 2017, we have sent 149 packets, and I have 30 more to send. I love that there are enough for every baby in our NICU to get a packet of books. 

Reading to your child everyday is one of the best gifts you can give them. Thank you to everyone who helps keep this project going. 

Read to a child today 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.

Duke by Kirby Larson

It isn't often that I find a book for middle grade students that teaches me something new, but Duke by Kirby Larson does just that. I never knew that American citizens sent their pets to help with the war effort. Published in 2013, Larson has done her homework on this story set in Seattle during WWII.

Hobie's dad is in Europe flying planes, and Hobie feels a real pull to do all he can at home for the war effort. When he learns about a program that uses dogs to help the soldiers, he reluctantly sends his beloved dog Duke. Now that he has sent him, he does all he can to get his dog back.

The reader gets to see the emotions that Hobie goes through as he tries to make his father proud, yet still get his dog back home safely. We see the growth of his character. Larson adds all the other issues facing people back home. Trying to send care packages to soldiers and POWs, ration stamps, lack of shoes, gasoline, and rubber. She has sprinkled in the flavor the time well.

I have to admit that the letters Hobie sends back and forth to the soldier who has Duke made me cry at times.

The story is tender and heartwarming. I listened to the audio version, and while it was good, when the narrator did girl voices, it was a bit grating, so I may have enjoyed it more had I read it.

Hobie's relationships with his family, friends, and the neighborhood bully are handled well. He is a good big brother who gets annoyed at times with his little sister. I found this realistic. Any dog lover in your life or classroom will like this book.

Read to a child today 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.

The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth

The Three Questions, based on a story by Leo Tolstoy was written and illustrated by Jon J. Muth and published in 2002.  Of course it contains his gorgeous watercolor paintings. Did I tell you I love his art and have purchased books because of his artistic talent?

In this story, a young boy has three questions: When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? and What is the right thing to do?

As this child goes on a journey to find the answers, he gets a few different answers - all of them good answers, but they are not the answers he is ultimately looking for. After he helps a farmer and saves a panda and her baby, he discovers the answers to these questions.

This is a thought provoking book and I can picture myself using it in the classroom. I can imagine students trying to answer those questions for themselves, having a Socratic discussion or debate on each one. Not to mention that the art is fantastic and brings out the emotion of the story.

I am so happy to have added this treasure to my storybook collection. It is worth every penny.

 Read to a child today 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.

Money Hungry by Sharon G. Flake

Money Hungry by Sharon G. Flake was published in 2001. This high interest low Lexile book is great for reluctant readers. Thirteen year-old Raspberry Hill is obsessed with making money because she and her mother were homeless and and now living precariously in a rough part of town.

Raspberry gets into trouble for her money making schemes. She is called greedy, but people don't understand her fear of homelessness. She understands that money is what will keep her and her mother safe, but not even her mother understands her quest to earn money. I love Raspberry's tenacity and work ethic. Her mother frustrated me, and I found her actions at times to be childish.

I liked the relationships and situations in the story and found them realistic. I also liked how Sharon G. Flake shows how hard it is to avoid misunderstandings when people don't communicate well.

This book is the first of two books. The second book is called Begging for Change and I will read it as I want to know what happens to Raspberry and her mother. I like books grab a reluctant reader's attention quickly and move them through the story. This slim volume has 188 pages with a lot of white space and short chapters. The font size is large, but a teen reader won't feel they are reading a baby book.

The cover on my book is different from this one, but both are attractive to teen readers.

Read to a child today 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.

Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody

Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody was first published in 1950, and I would say it is the male equivalent to Little House on the Prairie.

Both my sister, Jill, and my neighbor, Lisa, suggested I read this book, so I did. This is the first of eight books in the series. Ralph Moody tells about his life, starting when he is eight years old and his family moves to Colorado in order save his father's health. He works in the east in a Woolen Mill and the air quality is destroying his lungs.

The story is set in the early 1900s. Ralph gets a few nick-names in this book. He is called Molly by the bullies at his school because his mother makes him wear nice clothes instead of overalls to school. He then gains the nickname of Spike when he fights back, and lastly, he becomes Little Britches when he learns to do tricks on a horse.

Ralph is a pretty average kid for the time period. He makes mistakes, but his parents are good people who try to teach him right from wrong. Children are spanked during this time period and Ralph gets his share of spankings. He loves his father dearly and the reader can see that his father really helped him grow to become a good person who values honesty and keeping his reputation clean.

I will probably read the next book in this series as I came to care about the characters - including the animal characters. Animals were a big part of life during the time period of this book. If you liked The Little House books, you will like this book. Your boys will prefer this one.

Read to a child today 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.

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway is one of those books that makes the reader contemplate life and the value of relationships and humanity. I listened to the audio version that was narrated by Gareth Armstrong, and he is a wonderful reader.

The narration and voice of the story reminded me of The Book Thief. Galloway is a remarkable writer. I could visualize every single scene: smell it, feel it, touch it. I love his attention to the little details, yet this book is only 259 pages of well spaced nice sized text, so he doesn't use his words carelessly - every word counts and packs an emotional or sensory punch. Even though the story ended, I wanted it to go on, which means I'll have to reread it. I'll also have to go find another Steven Galloway book as I really like his storytelling style.

In this story, Galloway takes the siege of Sarajevo that lasted over three years and condensed it into a month. After an attack in the city that killed twenty-two people, a cellist decides to play a piece at four o'clock each day in remembrance of each person killed. Although this story is based on that story, this book is fiction.

The story is told from the point of view of the Cellist, a female sniper named Arrow, a father named Kenan, and an older man named Dragan using third person omniscient narration. As each person tells their story, the reader gets a feel for what the people of the city must endure to get food, water, and medicine. The reader gets the sense of what becomes of people when they are reduced to only being concerned with taking care of the most basic of needs. We see people in their moments of weakness and their moments of strength. I loved how Dragan's narration ended - so profound. Without the daily niceties, we stop connecting with people. Those little greetings, kindnesses, and reaching out to others are what keep us human.

I highly recommend this book.

Read to a child today 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.

Totally Monster Manners by Sue DiCicco

Last week at Seagull Book, I found a board book with lift flaps that reminded me of a book that my children't loved when they were little. My kids loved The Thing-a-ma-jig books, but they are very hard to find now as they are out of print.

When I saw this Totally Monster Manners book, I had to buy it.

The pictures are cute and show the monsters using bad manners. "Some monsters never use their manners. They really are impolite. They never say 'please' or 'thank you.' Not morning, noon, or night."

Each new page has a stanza that rhymes. Books that contain rhymes are wonderful for little children. After listening a few times, they are often able to fill in the words if you leave them out or stop for them to fill in the words. This gives your little reader an opportunity to feel like they know the words and is one step closer to them becoming independent readers.

By the end of the story, the monsters have learned manners and play nicely with others.

Read to a child today 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.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman looked interesting to me because the title is a good one, and it is about a child with epilepsy. I have a child with epilepsy, so I always want to learn more.

This story is a biography/non-fiction about a child, Lia Lee born in American to Hmong refugees. She is beautiful and very well loved, but as a baby, she begins having seizures. Fadiman handles the complexity of the story well. She explains the cultural divide, and it is huge: language, religion, family and clan dynamics, and the role of children. Hmong adore their children, and children with epilepsy are thought of as chosen ones as they believe these children can commune with spirits.

I loved learning about the Hmong culture and found their belief in Dabs and spirits interesting. I found some of their beliefs quite healthy and feel we could do better by incorporating them into our own lives.

As a mother with a child who endured the entire neurology workup, I can't imagine doing so without being able to understand the doctor and without an interpreter. Initially when your child receives this diagnosis, the medicine routine is very difficult. You introduce the medicine and then gradually increase it over the course of several weeks, all the time on the look out for side-effects and trying to see if the medicine is at a therapeutic level in order to stop the seizures. It was confusing, and I am college educated and speak the same language as the doctor.

I like that Fadiman didn't try to paint anyone as guilty or innocent in the fiasco that was Lia Lee's case. She presented the facts. She presented the culture differences and misunderstandings. She worked hard to present a balanced non-biased story.

As an educator, I wish I had read this book a long time ago, as it explained some of the cultural differences that would have been nice to know with a few of my own students. This is a book that anyone who works with the public should read. If you are someone who loves to learn about other cultures, this is a book you will enjoy.

Read to a child today 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.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson was published in 2014. This book is told from the points of view of a boy/girl set of twins. Noah's part is told at the age of 13/14 and Jude's part is told at age 16. The story goes back and forth in time, but it isn't at all confusing.

This is a story with a LGBT character. This story talks about sexuality and sex. This story has profanity. This story has teen sex and the repercussions that go along with teen sex. This story has adultery.While I have been known to stop reading a book with any one of these things, I am also no prude and will gladly complete and enjoy a book that includes these things if they are done well and not just for shock value. This story also contains death, grief, and sorrow.

This story will also make you laugh, and it is incredibly well written. Jude and Noah have always been close, but as they hit their early teens, things get tense in their relationship. Where they were once each a part of the same whole, they have splintered apart. Art plays a huge part in this story. Both of them try to get into the an art school, but it doesn't work out they way everyone thinks it will.

Noah is a painter and I swear I could visualize the art he describes in his invisible art gallery. I want the pictures to be created. Although the art isn't included in the book, as it is invisible, it sure was spectacular inside my head.

Jude is a sculpture, only she struggles to see herself as an artist. This book shows why as parents, we need to make sure we don't squash a child's dream. This book also shows how important it is not to squash our own dreams.

This is a story of coming to terms and learning to go forward after someone close to you leaves this world. This story shows the raw edge of grief and how it can cause those to change and sometimes self-destruct in its wake. It also shows how healing can happen and how we need others to give us back the sun after it leaves our world.

I found myself writing in the margins on this book. I saw myself in the pages - the mistakes I'd made as a young person when I was making decisions without my adult knowledge.

I appreciated the honesty of the LGBT character and hope that as more books are published with LGBT characters, bullying will diminish and the rate of suicide in the LGBT population will drop.

I felt like this book deserved a better cover. I wanted one of Noah's paintings or one of Jude's sculptures: NoahandJude or a Sand Woman.

Yep, that's the cover.

This book is not for children or young teens. I would wait until a student is mature enough to read this. I would say age 16, but I know that could be still be too young for some and that others may be able to read it earlier. Know your child and what they are reading. I think this book could be very valuable for a student who is thinking about having sex when they are too young or for a student who is LGBT as it would help them feel not so alone.

Read to a child today, but not this book unless the child is you. :)

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta was originally published in Australia with the title, On the Jellicoe Road. When I first started reading this book, I was confused, so much so that I nearly abandoned the book.

I logged onto Goodreads.com and took a look at some of the reviews. I also found a website that explained the first few chapters for me. I had read them five times and was still confused. If this book hadn't been rated as well as it is, I would have walked away from this book, but I'm so glad I stuck it out.

Jellicoe Road is a story within a story. The book begins with an amazing first line, "My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die. I counted."

But then you get to chapter two and the time period has changed, the narrator has changed and because both are told in first person narration, it is confusing.

Things to keep in mind. When the typeface is italicized you are reading another story set 22 years in the past and Narnie is the narrator. The other chapters are Taylor's story. The stories are set in the same town. To add to the confusion, Taylor is having very strange dreams about a boy in a tree.

This is a story about a girl trying to forget but trying to remember. This is a story of redemption, of depression, of sorrow, of grief, of guilt, and of friendship. The characters make changes that make sense for them, so the story doesn't seem contrived - it seems natural once you figure out what is happening.

There are twists and turns and many surprises. This story will make you cry. It takes some work to process the beginning, but this book is worth it.

Read to a child today 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.

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

I am always on the hunt for good Graphic Novels. Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke is one such offering. In this story, Zita and her friend find a button in a pit with a crashed meteoroid. They wrestle over it, and the result is that a portal opens and a creature reaches through and steals Joseph. Zita has to find a way to save him.

If your child likes the Legend of Zelda stories, they will probably like this book. The art work is descriptive and helps move the story along. I also like the font used in this book. Often the fonts in graphic novels are hard to read, but his font is great.

Zita learns, grows, and becomes a better friend in this book. The space creatures are creative and work well with the story. Some of them remind me of the creatures in the new Zelda, Breath of the Wild. Yes, I am a Legend of Zelda nerd.

Read to a child today 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.

Storybooks with Girl Characters: Part 2

Last time we talked about books with red-headed girls, today I will highlight three books with girls with dark hair.

1. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon was written by Patty Lovell and illustrated by the amazing David Catrow. Published in 2001, this story tells about Molly Lou Melon, a very tiny girl who loves her grandmother and has an astounding sense of self. The book begins, "Molly Lou Melon stood just taller than her dog and was the shortest girl in the first grade. She didn't mind. Her grandma had told her, 'Walk as proudly as you can and the world will look up to you.'"

Molly Lou soon has to move; will her grandmother's advice see her though a new school and the mean Ronald Durkin? This book is so darling. The story is timeless and profound and the pictures are stunning with amazing colors and details. Every child should have this book in their library.

2. If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don't by Elise Parsley is a darling book about a little girl who doesn't want to bring a sparkly rocks, a nest, or a hollow stick for nature show-and-tell day, so she brings an alligator. Unfortunately, the alligator keeps Madeline hopping all day trying to keep him out of trouble. The artwork will make even the most ornery adult laugh, and all of my grand-kids love this book. Great book for a budding zoologist or scientist.

3. Amazing Grace written by Mary Hoffman and beautifully illustrated by Caroline Birch is a book about Grace, a girl who loves stories and always casts herself as the most exciting character in the story. I like Grace's creativeness and her ability to see herself as being whatever she wants to be. She has an amazing Nana and mother who remind her that she can indeed be anything she wants.

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

Michelle brought another stack of books over for the NICU babies. She is so generous to our project.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce is a book that I listened to on Overdrive. The reader was fantastic and may have contributed to why I enjoyed this book so much.

Harold Fry has recently retired. He and his wife are estranged. He seems to love her a lot, but for some reason they have grown apart. He gets a letter from a woman he used to work with years ago telling him that she is dying of cancer. At some point, Queenie, the woman who is dying, did something for Harold, but the reader doesn't know what she did.

Harold writes her a letter, but as he goes to mail it, a letter doesn't seem like it is enough, and he decides to walk 600 miles to visit her. He isn't in walking shoes, has forgotten his cell phone, and only has the clothing on his back, but walk he does.

As he walks, he thinks over his life. We learn about his wife, his child, his job, and Queenie. He meets people during his travels, and he learns about himself by learning about others.

This book made me feel good. It made me want to be a little kinder. There is a plot twist that kind of blew my mind. It also made me listen again to the audio after I'd finished it. So yes, I listened to this book twice in the period of a few days.

This is book one of two, and I will be getting the second book, The Love Song of Queenie Hennessy. I want to know more about Queenie as I loved how she was portrayed in the first book even though she isn't in it a lot. This book has surprises, and I love when an author can surprise me. This book will make you laugh, cry, and think about the relationships in your life and how you might make them stronger.

I love the font used on the cover.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit.

This darling book was delivered yesterday and given to our project by Diane. Thank you, Diane. I love the words of Audrey and the art of Don Woods. 

Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev

In our area, we have a little bookstore called Seagull Book. They mainly sell religious books, but they always have a selection of children's literature that is sold at a discount.

I found Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo last week when I stopped in. Published in 2015, this book is about being a friend and accepting others. The little boy in this story has a tiny, dog-sized pet elephant, but in his city. other people don't allow his pet elephant to be included.

He tells about going for walks with his pet elephant. "He doesn't like the cracks in the sidewalk much. I always go back and help him over. That's what friends do: Lift each other over the cracks." When they get to the pet clubhouse meeting a sign on the door says "Strictly No Elephants."

When the little boy finds out that other unusual pets are being excluded, he and the other kids decide to all be friends together. '"Come along,' I say, making certain that my tiny elephant follows me. Because that' what friends do: never leave anyone behind."

He paint a sign on the door of the new meeting place that says, "All are welcome."

I like this book because it allows a parent to talk to a child about inclusion, being a good friend, and seeing if anyone has made them feel that they don't belong.

The pictures and animals are cute and this book will bring up good discussion points about including others and being a good friend.

Read to a child today to help them navigate problems they may encounter. 

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit.

This week even more books have arrived for the NICU book project. 

Kaytie sent this book by Erick Carl. Thank you, Kaytie.

Caitie, my daughter, brought these to honor the brothers she never got to meet. She found some fun ones. If you'd like to donate books in honor of someone you love, let me know, and I'm happy to mention your loved one. Thank you, Caitie. 

Michelle brought these books over last night. I love Stellaluna. Thank you, Michelle. 

That is 18 more books for the babies. Thank you to all who have contributed to our project. 

She Touched the World: Laura Bridgman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer by Sally Hobart Alexander and Robert Alexander

When I was a little girl, I was fascinated with Helen Keller's life story. I read everything I could find about her. In all my Helen Keller studies, I never heard about Laura Bridgman. Laura Bridgman became deaf and blind after being sick with Scarlet Fever, an illness that killed her two older sisters when she was only two years old.

In She Touched the World: Laura Bridgman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer, The Alexanders cover Laura's life with dignity. Laura was a Pioneer because Doctor Samuel Gridley Howe tried a new way to teach her. Laura was born in 1829, and this book shows how important the women's movement was for people like Laura. If one of her teachers got married, they by law could no longer be a teacher, so while Dr. Howe looked for a new teacher, Laura was often alone. She was inquisitive and loved to be with people so this was very hard for her.

The family tree in the front of the books reminds me how grateful I am for modern medicine. Laura's parents had nine children but only five of them survived into adulthood. Antibiotics and immunizations have saved parents from having to bury several children during the same week. Not to mention that often the medical care received was more dangerous then the illness the doctor was treating.

Laura taught Helen Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, to finger spell when she was student at Laura's school. Charles Dickens met and wrote about Laura. Laura was at one time the most famous person in America. Laura could sew, knit, and make lace. Scarlet Fever had stolen her eye sight, her hearing, her sense of taste and smell, but it could not steal her zest for life and her desire for knowledge.

If you have a child who is fascinated with Helen Keller, they will love this picture book sized treasure that comes with a lot of pictures along with the text.

Read to a child today and help them see the power of learning. 

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit.

So This Has Been Happening - NICU Update

On May 27th, I did a NICU book project update and told people what we needed in the NICU.

Book people are awesome. People who value literacy are awesome. People who have used this service in the NICU are awesome. Apparently the right people saw my blog post because since that update, we have received 78 new books to give to the newborns in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. The packages of books have been streaming in, and sorting these new books has been so much fun.

I may have cried a little to see that there are others who value literacy they way I do. This book project is about literacy, but reading to your babies builds so much more than literacy. It builds a bond that can't be broken between parent and child. I treasure the memories I have of my sweet mother reading to me. I remember myself and siblings rushing to get into bed on time in order to have a story read to us. My mother has a beautiful reading voice and made the books come alive.

I am thankful that these tiniest of babies can begin their journey through life with a parent's kind voice reading to them.

Thank you to all who shared our post or felt compelled to send books. We are helping families who often spend weeks and months in the hospital, and we are helping the babies get started on their literacy journey.

Just look at all these darling books. Many are board books which are great because babies need books they can handle and nibble without worrying about damage. Each packet of books we give contains five books. I try to have 2 paperbacks, 2 hardbacks, and 1 board book in each packet. Parents also receive an insert that explains the importance of reading to their baby from birth. All of this is contained in a 2 gallon ziplock to keep them safe at the hospital bedside.


Mikiya sent this group of books. I'm thankful to get so many board books. Thank you, Mikiya.

My neighbor's niece, Aimee, sent this group. Those double delight books are incredibly fun and check out the hardbacks and board books. Thank you, Aimee.

 This selection that includes two Spanish books is from Diane. I was completely out of Spanish books. Thank you, Diane.

Judson sent this adorable touch and feel board book. Thank you, Judson, the babies will love it.

 Heather included two Spanish books in her selection; we really needed them.  Thank you, Heather. 

This group is from Mary. I love the touch and feel books and Don and Audrey Woods are master storytellers. Thank you, Mary.

Leslie sent this batch that includes 12 board books. The babies will love these. Thank you, Leslie. 

Thank you again to all who shared our link and sent books. Together we can help so many more babies than I can help on my own. People are good.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit. 

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