Image by Musée McCord Museum via Flickr

“You may have tangible wealth untold,

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold,

Richer than I you can never be,

I had a mother who read to me.”

This well-known verse by Strickland Gillihan points out so clearly how important it is to read to your child.  I know that most of you do…for those of you who don’t…you are missing out on something really special.  Reading picture books with young children is special for several reasons:

• It engages the child in the story and events between the pages.
• It develops pre-reading skills.
• It opens up a window of opportunity for you and your child to discuss, not only the story, but how it relates to your child.  Often, during story-time, children are able to talk more openly about issues that bother them.
• The time you spend together creates a life-long parent-child bond and can be so much fun for everyone involved.

Here’s a great children’s book that celebrates Mother’s Day.

No Time For Mother’s Day by Laurie Halse Anderson is a story about a little girl who has two days to decide what to get for her mother.  She goes shopping with her cousin whose mom had given her daughter a list of what she wanted and the money to buy everything.  However, Charity does not see anything she wants to get for her mother.  What she really wants to get is an extra pair of hands for her mother who is always so busy.  On Mother’s Day, Charity’s present to her mom is revealed…a day of peace and quiet.  Charity has turned off all of the phones and things that go beep.

Some other good Mother’s Day titles:

1.      My Mother is Mine by Marion Dane Bauer

2.      Berenstain Bears & the Mama’s Day Surprise by Jan and Stan Berenstain

3.      Happy Mother’s Day by Steven Kroll

4.      A Present for Mom by Vivian French

5.      I Love You, Mama by Isabel Gaines

Reading, crafting and cooking with young children are wonderful activities that build self-esteem, develop pre-reading skills and create a life-long parent-child bond.  If you’d like some more activities to fill the summer days ahead, you can purchase a copy of my book.   It provides hundreds of great picture book suggestions, simple craft projects and easy cooking activities…enough to keep everyone happy and busy all summer long and beyond!

If you go to my website, you’ll be able to buy a copy at 20% off the cover price AND receive a bonus $10 Marshalls/TJMaxx gift card that will be mailed to you with the book.  This is a special Mother’s Day offer, good only until May 8.  The book is a great Mother’s Day gift for any mom who is time-short.  There are 256 pages that are chock-full of easy eco-friendly activities that will keep your young children busy every day.

Buy a copy between May 1 and May 8 and receive a $10 Marshalls/TJMaxx Gift Card (aren’t these two of the best stores for moms?) with your order.

Please stop by tomorrow…for Healthy Habit Thursday…I’ll have some great tips about how to make blood draws easier for kids.

On Friday, I’m flying to Chicago to spend Mother’s Day weekend with my son and daughter-in-law.  I will be meeting with the owner of Lollie’s, a children’s boutique, to discuss placing Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking in her shop…she’s read the book and loves it and would like to have it available for her customers. 🙂  So, Miss Vivian will be in Chicago for the next few days!

And I’m really excited because next week, we’ll be featuring a guest post from a local Colorado Springs author, Rebecca Dunning.  She’s a really special lady and I’m thrilled to welcome her to next week’s What’s In Your Child’s Bookcase Wordy Wednesday.