I've been asked for this list so many times, it's time to share it worldwide (or to whoever lands here). Potty training is so much fun, I thought you'd like reading about it with your kid too! We started with the P is for Potty because Liliana loved Elmo so much but that's not every kid. The first two on the list are still well-read in our house because Liliana just loves them - even though she's way past the training phase. I just read Pottytime Chickies before naptime today!

Enjoy (and good luck)!

I recently had a friend ask me for more goodnight book suggestions for her toddler and I'll be honest, I thought this was going to be an easier list to put together than it actually was. She sent me what she currently reads including Pajama Time, Llama Llama Nighty Night and Good Night New York and I sent her a few quick suggested additions to her nighttime routine. Then I went about looking at any new goodnight books that were on the bookshelves that I may have missed.

Let's start with some background. Almost every parent knows the book Goodnight Moon. Not everyone loves it, but let's talk about why it is so popular. Because it's important - a lot of goodnight books are derivative of Goodnight Moon.

Margaret Wise Brown, through her research, learned that kids were very interested in the "here and now". And so, that was what her storytelling became. Simple settings, simple kid language with cadence that is based upon familiar routines. 

This was a book revolution! So much so, that the New York Public Library didn't circulate the book until 26 years after its initial publication. 

The book became popular through word of mouth. It lulled your 2 year old to sleep (and maybe you, but the 2 year old was the important one). So parents recommended it to other parents and its popularity increased. Now it's a goodnight staple in many households. The Here and Now storytelling method became a mainstay. Again, the important part here - It puts your kid to sleep. 

At bedtime, sometimes you want books that are relaxing but are also fun to read during other times of your day or are a different take on bedtime than the Here and Now. So, I went on a search for other goodnight books that are fun to read at bedtime, will slow down the day for a few minutes but may also provide some text complexity or imagination to your bedtime routine. This list is especially useful for the toddler set - 2 years old and older.
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Please share!

Remember sending postcards as a kid? I used to love sending postcards when we went on vacations or even better, receiving them in the mail. Who doesn't love getting mail?!

Liliana and I were in Dallas this past weekend and we visited the zoo. As souvenirs, I put pictures up from the trip in her picture frames instead of getting tchotchkes. And as something fun to do, we always get postcards to send. Liliana has a lot to say (always) so she thought it was great when I told her postcards are a way of "telling stories" to other people who live far away.  

​Plus, writing postcards is a quick way to get literacy into your day and works for little kids all the way up to big kids! 

I bought a lot of my daughter's books to start her baby library. There were certain books I wanted and there were certain books I didn't want at all.

There are books that it seems like almost every new mom registers for - you know the ones - The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goodnight Moon, Dear Zoo, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Where the Wild Things Are, Guess How Much I Love You - you get the picture. These are all great books, but a new mom is inevitably going to receive these.

But there are so many other books! Here is a list with a mix of American Library Association recommendations, Caldecott winners, most-checked out kid books from the library, my daughter's favorites and my own favorites. I often buy and recommend books by well-known authors, but their lesser known titles that are just as fantastic.

​Many of my own favorites are books that are not annoying to be read over and over and over and over and over...and that makes it more fun for Liliana. If I can convey enjoyment while I read, she will pick up on that. Read books that are joyful to you as a parent!

• The Little Island - Not your standard Margaret Wise Brown book. It won a Caldecott award in 1947 for the beautiful watercolor pictures and the story is very mellow. 

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• The Pout Pout Fish - The illustrations are great and the story is super cute. There are more of these books in case the child-to-be loves the first one. These stories can grow up with a kid.​

• Fish Eyes - Lois Ehlert always has great pictures in her books. This board book has math extensions and is so colorful, you'll want to flip through it again. We frequently do art activities based on the fish in this book too.

• Eating the Alphabet - Another Lois Ehlert book with fruits and veggies. It's very colorful and there is a lot to look at. It's also a great book to bring along to the grocery store and keep those hands busy.

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• Please Baby Please - Written by Spike Lee and has a musical tone to it. The book goes through a toddler's day - very familiar to us!

• G is for Goat - A great introduction to the world of Patricia Polacco - with a farm alphabet.

• Ten, Nine, Eight - A counting backward book akin to Goodnight Moon.

• Baby Beluga - Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea, swim so wild and you swim so free. Beautiful ocean animals and if you like Raffi music, even better. 

• 10 Trick or Treaters - Another favorite of ours - a counting backward to bed book. 

• Giraffes Can't Dance - A colorful, animal-filled book about finding the confidence in yourself. The rhyming in the book is well-done and hasn't been a bother to read over and over and over again.

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• Chickens Aren't the Only Ones - A very colorful book explaining all the animals that lay eggs. The rhyming is done well and one Liliana picks this up from the bookshelf almost daily.

​Enjoy!