I’ve been a fan of the library since my elementary school gave out shiny “BOOK IT” buttons to the top readers. The library was there for me when my only friends were named Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, Mallory, Jessi, Mary Anne, and Dawn. It was there for me when my parents wouldn’t let me get magazine subscriptions in high school. And it was there for me with audiobooks when my commute was eating up two hours of my day.
Now, the library is there for my daughter and me when we (read: I) just can’t bear to read Brown Bear, Brown Bear one more time. Wandering through the stacks is just as satisfying for me as it was when I was a kid. And the library is still a lifesaver on my commute— I borrow audiobooks on my phone, put my phone in my cupholder, and fade my car’s speakers (currently and constantly blaring 1989) to the back so I don’t have to hear “I want to hear Blank Space in mom’s car!” over, and over, and over.
In honor of National Library Week coming up, here are three of my two-year old’s recent favorite books we’ve checked out from the library and three of mine.
My toddler loved:
Walk This World is a fun way to explore city life around the world. The illustrations are beautiful, and my daughter loved opening the flaps (so many flaps!) to peek into skyscrapers, see inside buses, and more.
This adorable book was an instant classic in our house. (In fact, I ended up buying it.) Each letter of the alphabet gets an animal, a yoga pose, and a poem. Watching my not quite coordinated two-year old try to do an eagle pose cracks me up every time—and she loves doing “loga” with mama.
As a mom who (sort of) works in graphic design, I gravitate toward beautifully designed children’s books… but usually can’t justify paying the costly price. I loved having this board book around for eye candy and to satisfy a certain little girl who is obsessed with ABCs at the moment. This would make a great gift!
I loved:
The minute I finished this book of mom-centric essays, I bought copies for two of my friends. I don’t relate to the author at all—I’m not quite at her level of parental anxiety…yet— but I love the way she turns the most mundane parenting moments into relatable, hilarious anecdotes. One of her stories even found me briefly looking forward to my snuggly little toddler becoming a teenager.
I will never forget the story of Phoebe’s writing classmate who wrote an interracial slavery love story and wasn’t open to ANY criticism. I cried laughing. Or maybe I was just crying. This book of hilarious essays from stand-up comedian/podcast queen Phoebe Robinson is the perfect read for the pop culture connoisseur—Phoebe sneaks a pop culture reference into nearly every other line.
Young adult fiction is my not-so-guilty pleasure (the books are so quick, and doesn’t finishing a book just make you feel accomplished?). I was a fan of this recent release about a text message gone horribly, horribly wrong.
