Favorite Parenting and Children's Books
These are just a few books that I have read and enjoyed. I will keep adding to this list as time goes on!
Parenting Books
Connection Parenting: by Pam Leo is a very simple read with very practical tips. It outlines how my child’s behavior is need-based, and lists the common needs that children have, including the need to release emotions (tantrums). It has made me a more compassionate and understanding parent.
Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson; addresses the question of how grace will not make our kids more entitled but more surprised by and attracted to God's love
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, 4th Edition: A Step-by-Step Program for a Good Night's Sleep by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.; one of the more balanced books on babies and sleep
Parenting With Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay; introduces how to use natural consequences with parenting so kids can learn from their mistakes earlier rather than later
Pregnancy and Postpartum Books
The Healthy Pregnancy Book: Month by Month, Everything You Need to Know from America's Baby Experts by William Sears, Martha Sears, Linda Holt, and BJ Snell; a more in-depth book about staying healthy during pregnancy before getting pregnant and month-by-month
The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Genevieve Howland; easy and insightful read full of practical tips and recipes to nourish each stage of baby
Waiting for Birdy: A Year of Frantic Tedium, Improbable Grace, and the Wild Magic of Growing a Family by Catherine Newman; my comedic relief during pregnancy - this chronicles her pregnancy with her three-year-old and makes me laugh every time I open it
Children’s Books
Age 1
Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
You Are My I Love You by Maryann Love
Age 2
The First Step Bible by Mack Thomas and Joe Stites; my two-year-old's favorite Bible
Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt and Tim Jonke; favorite childhood book and favorite read for Easter and beyond!
Age 3
Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams and Charles Santore; a classic favorite about what it means to become real through love
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw; I cry every time I read this! Although the part about the woman holding the adult man is a bit overboard
Age 4-8
Bibles
Age 4: Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Jago; I learn so much reading these stories too, but found that my little girl didn't engage until she was about four years old
Age 5: One Big Story: Bible Stories in 5 Minutes by B&H Kids; My daughter liked these illustrations more and I like how every story ties to the big story of salvation in Jesus, but be warned, there’s a bit more death and destruction to explain in this one!
My Forgotten Self: A Story About a Girl, a Powerful Encounter, and a Universal Message by Lynyetta G. Willis and Michele Phillips; inspiring story for four-year-olds and up about how we can be all things in Christ
Putih the Traveling Pelican by Lindsey Desmarais Nubern and Lauren Clickner; helps my four-year-old see how our physical differences can bring us together
The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross by Carl Laferton and Catalina Echeverri; moving illustration to illuminate the story of Eden to the cross
You Are Special by Max Lucado and Sergio Martinez; Pinnochio-esque story about how it only matters what God thinks about us
