Dads Read Too

JER: “ Marilyn’s Monster ” by author Michelle Knudsen and illustrator Matt Phelan was a recommendation from a librarian at the Alexandria Duncan Branch Library.  I can see why it is one of her favorites.  Although Marilyn didn’t have a Monster yet, she wasn’t too worried because a lot of kids in her class didn’t have one either.  You have to wait for your monster to find you, that was just how it worked.  But Marilyn started to become despondent after her best efforts to be presentable and punctual (to make sure her Monster could find her) still ended up with her being the last person in her class without a Monster.  Your Monster was supposed to find you, but Marilyn decided she was going to set out to look anyways. Great book to help re-frame “monsters” as friendly companions and “how good it would be to have [a] monster beside her [in the dark]”.

JER: “ Tickle My Ears ” by Jörg Mühle is one of the best interactive children’s books I’ve come across.  Ejler caught onto the interactive cues really quickly: you need to tap Little Rabbit on the shoulder, clap your hands, say “Hoppity-hop”, give Little Rabbit’s ears a tickle, gently stroke Little Rabbit’s back (Ejler’s favorite), and more before telling Little Rabbit to “Sleep tight”. This book is definitely worth tracking down for a 1-3 year old.

JER: “ Priscilla Gorilla ” by author Barbara Bottner and illustrator Michael Emberley provides lots of fun facts about gorillas, like how they say “hello by rubbing their noses together”, “they sleep ten hours a day”, and “they’ve lasted all these millions of years because they COOPERATE” (something that takes Priscilla a while to learn). But the problem is that being a gorilla can also get you lots of time in the “Thinking Corner”

JER: “ The Usborne book of Drawing, doodling and coloring Fashion ” by  author Fiona Watt and illustrator Antonia Miller is the best “quiet time book” I’ve found so far.   Mallory and I recently flew with the kids from Washington DC to Carlsbad, CA, and I was really anxious about the long flights with Lake (almost 6-year-old) and Ejler (2-year-old), but this fashion and design book has kept Lake busy through both flights and most of the time in California when we have needed an activity for the car or in the house during the afternoon. #notanad #justafan

JER: “ Good Night, Gorilla ” by Peggy Rathmann is a picture book triumph.  I don’t know of a children’s books with as much story hidden in the background than this book.  I legitimately go back and forth on whether the Gorilla is the protagonist, or merely a puppet to the clever influences of the Mouse.  Like, why is the string tied to the banana, if not to entice the Gorilla?!?!

JER: “ Mr. Tiger Goes Wild ” by Peter Brown, to me, is all about groupthink and social conventions.  Humans are social creatures, and I can relate to the intense biological drive to “fit in” and be part of a large or popular social group, but I have also found tremendous freedom by questioning social norms and checking in with myself to see what I really want, think, or feel.  Often when I have I vocalized a different viewpoint, I have found others have chimed in and agreed with me.  Mr. Tiger realized he needed to get “wild” sometimes, but he still needed his city, friends, and community. “There is a time and place for everything - even going wild”

JER: “ The Very Hungry Caterpillar ” by Eric Carle was published 50 ago, but it still feels fresh and new.  Just as my Mother - @cvalentiner - predicted on the sticker written at the baby shower before Lake was born, my kids love “putting their fingers in the holes”, and I’ve tried to “enjoy at least one thing everyday about their stage in life.”  Right now, it is a lot of unintelligible 2-year-old-screaming from Ejler (and pure joy at learning a new word) and lots of 5-year-old-irrational-whining from Lake, e.g. “I want to catch minnows, but I don’t want to get my feet wet” - today.  Offset by being able to watch Lake’s sense of humor mature, she genuinely cracks me up. There is a Stoic practice that is related to what my Mother suggested: try to imagine that each moment you experience might be your last chance to take your kids hiking, your last time to see your loved one, your last day to see your sibling, etc.  it helps me focus on living in the...