It's a Book Party!

Welcome to the March Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival: Discovering through BooksThis post was written for inclusion in the monthly Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival hosted by The Positive Parenting Connection and Authentic Parenting. This month our participants have investigated what role books have played in their lives. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.


Our neighbor recently brought by a huge collection of books for the Agents. Some she used in her preschool classroom, others belonged to her now teenage boys. I cannot even express how thrilled they were with this windfall. They stayed up late perusing them that first night, and then E spent a good part of the next day organizing them and stacking them and flipping through them and reading them to J and A. 

Look at all those books

It made for a great book party. Heck, with the over 80 (!) new books we now own, we can have dozens of book parties.

What's a book party? This is just our silly term for hanging out in the living room with a pile of books.

I'm not really sure how or why we started calling it that, but the Agents love it, and even Andrew will go over and grab his favorite little chair and plop down and start munching on a nice board book.

We go to the library every Friday and stock up on a new selection of books for the upcoming week. As I mentioned in this post, I help the process along by choosing several for her to browse rather than expecting her to narrow down the choices on her own. We typically return home with 10-15 selections; some of our recent favorites are listed here.

Book party at Gatwick Airport, London

I love that Agent E enjoys reading so much because I believe it's one of the most important things she can learn, and I hope her siblings follow in her footsteps. A book party is our fun way to motivate them to read a variety of books without required "reading time" each day.

How do you encourage the little ones in your house to make reading a part of their every day agenda?

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

Visit The Positive Parenting Connection and Authentic Parenting to find out how you can participate in the next Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival! Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Books and Play — MudpieMama at The Positive Parenting Connection is sharing a fun play based activity that enhances reading comprehension, vocabulary and attention.
• Using Literature to Talk with Your Child About Money — Pam from The MoneyTrail Blog shares her 12 favorite stories to initiate conversations about money with your child.
• Reconnecting Through Reading — Reading aloud with our children has its many rewards, from increased vocabulary and reading skills to creative thinking and problem solving skills. At Living Peacefully with Children, reading is also a time to reconnect at the end of the day.
• It’s a Book Party — Valerie at Momma in Progress shares a fun way she encourages reading at her house.
• The Importance of Storytelling — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama discusses the importance of storytelling as well as how to select a book worthy of reading with your young child.
• I Love Books! And I Hope My Daughter Does, Too. — Becky at Old New Legacy shares ideas and experiences in her attempt to raise a bookworm.
• The Wonderful World of Children's Books — Carrie @ LoveNotesMama shares her enthusiasm and adoration for the joys and gifts that children's books bring.
• Books, Have They Become Obsolete?  — Laura at Authentic Parenting investigates wether there's still room for books in this modern world of internet and digital readers.
• Books and Unschooling a Preschooler  — Lauren at Hobo Mama follows her four-year-old's lead through mummies, digestion, and whale sharks.
• Beyond Reading: How Books Help Us Live and Learn  — Sheila of A Living Family describes how, more than helping her children learn to read, books help her family live and learn together.
• Once Upon a Time, There Was a Princess With a Career Plan...  — Helen @ zen mummy wonders how - and if - the tales our children hear influence their future