I'm BACK!

I'm back!  After having my second little boy, I'm finally able to return and start posting again.  This time with a little more detail than I have before.  Now that I've increased my son's library from 700 books to about 850 (don't judge), I'm ready and hoping to help others in their path to literacy in their children.

I'm a sucker for old, classic children's books.  I collect them in hopes that someday I will find the diamond in the rough.  I especially love classic library books.  If I find a book that I love, already have it but have found it in a library binding, I'll switch them out.  So pretty often in this blog you will see a classic that you remember but my copy will be old, run down.  Just the way I like it.

There's also something about inscriptions that I adore as well.  You know, those copies of books that was given to someone as a present, they wrote a very beautiful letter in there for them, but the recipient just loved it so much that they gave it away to Goodwill.  Yes, I love those.  It's almost like a story within a story.  I have quite a bit of those and when I read them I wonder about the people behind it.

I'm a huge advocate for children's literature and the importance of books.  I just remember as a child having all of these books and I would read them over and over.  Everytime I remember a book that I used to own or a favorite of mine from my childhood, I'd immediately search for one for my two boys.

I also urge the importance of adopting a used book.  There are so many thrift stores around the nation with hundreds of books, why not?  If you don't, they end up being recycled.....kind of like a pet in at the animal shelter (does that make you feel bad?  Yes? Okay)  I admit, I have purchased several new books for my boys, but that's because some people are crazy!  Especially on Amazon.  They will sell their used copy for more than just buying the book new.  Come on, people!  Really?!  Who wants to pay $15.00 for a used book when you can buy a new one for only $8?

So this blog is all about literacy in children, hopefully buying a book that your child can actually hold in their hands and turn pages.  Since I'm also a collector, I'll teach you how to tell if your book is a first edition, first printing, how old, etc.  We will go through reviews on the each book, talk about series, and even give some fun, interesting facts on publishers, authors, or the book itself. --- that was a lot of commas in one sentence.

I hope you enjoy this blog as it takes you down memory lane and into the stories you once loved as a child and newly published books that live up to that potential.