Renny's Recipes: Something to Read

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Today my friends, my post is about feeding your brain! As part of the gift giving formula my mom talked about here, I am sharing with you some great books to give as gifts for the "Something to Read" category.

Getting your kids books is sooo important! The sooner you start reading to a child the better. It will impact their verbal skills and help ignite their imagination. If you help instill a love of reading in your child when they are young, then as they grow they can get lost in the world of a book and learn about new people and cultures. Books expand horizons!

So, lets break these ideas down by age group!

Something to Read: Ages 0-3

For newborns you can really read them anything, but once your kid becomes a little wiggle worm, board books are so great to save books from torn pages. It can't always be avoided however, because not all great books come in board book form. Just be aware and be careful of where those tiny hands flail! (Also, my daughter got a paper cut on her toe one time while we were reading, so watch out for those wiggly little toes as well! I never even thought it could be possible, but she slid her foot across the book at the perfect angle!)

We have some Baby Einstein books in our house and our little girl loves them! They're so interactive and fun, and can grow with her as she gets older! Amazon has a whole page dedicated to this brand, so you can find all kinds of great board books for your little ones!

I have to give a shout out to this book because my daughter absolutely loves it! Lift the flap books are a big hit around our house because she can lift it herself. She looks forward to it on every page. Underneath each flap is a new farm animal and its a great way to teach her animals sounds associated with each animal! This book is how she learned how to say "dog" and "hello!"

This is another favorite with our little one. It is a great book that teaches that we all have different talents, and also, it's never okay to make fun of or judge someone. It's a fun read, and is in rhyme form, which is a great thing to learn at a young age!

Something to read: Ages 3-6

This is a fun age where kids really start getting interactive with their books and try to read them on their own!

My daughter just got one of these e readers from my aunt as a Christmas gift. As a 1 year old she just likes to push the buttons and pretend the reader is a phone and I just read the books to her. It would be a fun gift for a slightly older child to have to learn to follow along as someone reads aloud!

I love the Little Critter books! I think the way they are written is so funny, they're enjoyable for parent and adult!

I have heard mixed reviews about the Pinkalicious television show. I love the books however! Emily has three of them and they are cute. Not only do they teach stories about being true to who you are, its a great way to learn your colors! I highly recommend the books! You can decide how you feel about the show.

I am also a huge fan of the Berenstain Bears books! I grew up with these books and love them. They teach great lessons. They're especially valuable for children with siblings!

Max's journey to where the Wild Things are obviously had to make an appearance for me! This is my absolute favorite children's book of all time! I love reading it to my daughter! Her nursery is Where the Wild Things Are themed. She has a little Max doll (complete with crown) and her newborn photos includes a Where the Wild Things Are theme! 

Something to Read: Ages 6-12

I know this is a pretty large age range in terms of level of reading skill, but I wanted to give a broad range of options for you to consider when getting your children a book because maybe you feel like they could read something a bit more difficult but are unsure where to start.

I first heard about Harry Potter in the 7th grade. Alicia had gotten the first two or three books through the scholastic book fair, she was in second grade. She read them and loved them at 7, and I read them and loved them at 13. Harry Potter is a book for all ages. The earlier ones especially are quick reads and a great start to chapter books.

Okay I love Junie B Jones. She is such a funny girl and the stories are always so fun! When I worked in a 4th grade class we went to see a play based on these stories and the kids absolutely loved it! So did I! I highly recommend these books!

When I turned 8 years old, I got a copy of Ramona Quimby Age 8 for my birthday. I loved it, and soon wanted to read all of the Ramona Quimby books! She is like the original Junie B Jones to me! I even made my mom check out some television episodes from the library for us to watch as kids. Everything that happens is from Ramona's perspective, and that is really the best thing about these books. Children can understand exactly how Ramona feels!

Something to read: Teens and Young Adult
For the teens and young adults in your life there are so many wonderful books out there to get them into amazing stories! Harry Potter is still an excellent option at this age, as well as these ideas:

The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings. I first read it in junior high and it is such a sweeping epic story that teaches so many valuable lessons about choosing good, being a loyal friend, and everyone can do hard things. But it isn't so basic. It is a deep read and a fascinating world! Someone people pass the Hobbit off as boring, but I really like the Hobbit, and if you read it first, it helps set the scene for the story to follow in the next three books. These books are classics and should definitely be read by everyone.

Full disclosure, I haven't read this book yet. My mom has though and told me it is so good! I intend to steal it and read it. You however, can buy it through this link and gift it to your teenage child! (Or yourself, I don't judge!)

Any book that focuses on a true story from the Holocaust is a must for me (Hello Diary of Anne Frank and The Hiding Place). This is a true story of a young girl named Dita Karus who was in charge of a set of books that some Jews snuck past the guards at Auschwitz. Be prepared to cry guys.

Well those are my something to read suggestions for you. I hope I've given you a good place to start. I'd say go buy a gift for the reader in your life, but maybe buy one to help someone become a reader as well!

Also, don't forget, we've been talking about the#LightTheWorld campaign. Have you seen any of these giving machines near you? There is one here in Gilbert, Arizona, and little lady and I are going to go on Friday to see what we can give!