We've gotten in the habit of going to the library every few weeks and taking out a dozen or so kids' books. It keeps things interesting at storytime, and gives the girls new material to check out as they more frequently look at books independently. (I love this!) It's also a great way to try out a variety of books and authors, see what you like and don't like, and what appeals to the girls. Of course, what appeals can be different for each of them, which gets a little tricky. Elsa, for example, seems to really like books with monsters, dinosaurs and other slightly scary or spooky things. Clio, these days, is terrified of them. Even 'Hop on Pop' freaks her out for some reason. (And yet, we just got this book about a monster who eats the darkness -- aptly named The Monster Who Ate Darkness -- which she likes. The girl's an enigma.)
Anyway, the downside is that we don't get to keep the books that we love. I'm trying to make note, however, of ones I might like to buy at some point. Or at least borrow repeatedly. Here are a few we've discovered recently that I think are pretty cool. Admittedly, these are ones that both the girls and I like. There are plenty that they love that I find as annoying, dull and/or poorly written as all get-out. But here are a few mutually appreciated library finds that I'd highly recommend. Common themes include: good writing, good illustration, a good storyline, humor, and absence of zoo-geological inaccuracies (i.e. tigers in Africa, alligators in India, etc. -- drives me bonkers!)
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