make a list of children's literature that we'll love to use with our future children.

I’ve added a new book to my collection of Mousekin bookx :-) I found a very good deal online for Mousekin Takes a Trip so purchased it. I love this little book! I’ll have to take a picture of it to upload as I cannot find one online.

Anyhow, now I only have 4 Mousekin books left to purchase:

Mousekin’s Frosty Friend
Mousekin’s Thanksgiving
Mousekin’s Woodland Birthday
Mousekin’s Mystery

I could get them all right now if I wanted but I’m holding out for great deals on Paperback books. However, I don’t think Mousekin’s Frosty Friend or Woodland Birthday was ever released in Paperback so I’ll probably have to purchase those hardcover.

I thought this book was too cute when I saw it for $1.99 at a local thrift store.

It is a 1970 printing from a 1914 copyright. It’s simply too cute! I’ll post a picture of the inside. I love when books are like chapter books yet have easier reading level for young children. This one has a good mix of pictures too. So, it’s perfect for a young reader.

I actually had Mark in mind when I bought a book titled The Read Book of American Tall Tales. He wants to learn all about America, it’s stories and traditions, and I thought this was a cute part of it. I got it at a local thrift store for $1.99 and it’s in great condition. It is from the year 1952 and it’s AWESOME! It has old book smell, which I love :-)

I don’t know a lot of the people mentioned in here but I cannot wait to read this with Mark when he moves over so we can learn together. I am sure our future children will love these exciting stories as well.

The chapters are:

1. Real Stuff
2. Paul Bunyan
3. Davy Crockett
4. Mike Fink
5. Pecos Bill
6. Febold Feboldson
7. Bowleg Bill
8. Stormalong
9. John Henry
10. High John the Conqueror
11. Sam Patch
12. Gib Morgan
13. Joe Magarac
14. Johnny Appleseed
15. Snolligosters, Etc.
16. A Passel of Real Lies

I got this apparently rare children’s bedtime book for 50 cents at a rummage sale. It is entitled, 366 Goodnight Stories; Tales and Poems for the Very Young. It was published by Western Publishing Company (a Golden Book) with a copyright of 1963. My book appears to be a 1969 printing though.

I had no clue of anything about it when I picked it up at a rummage sale and asked the elderly woman how much she would like for it. She said, well I’ll give it to you for 50 cents but it has been in storage so I’m not sure if you mind buying something that’s been in storage. I said that no I didn’t mind and thought it was cute so would take it. After I got home and ebayed it I noticed sellers on ebay attempting to flog it for $7.99, $10.95, and even $70.00 and $80.00! Granted, I did see some on Amazon not going for much at all but I still feel good that I own it.

This book is adorable! It has picture pages that divide up each season. It starts with a picture page titled SPRING and on the next page the stories begin with March 21 (the traditional first day of the astrological year and sometimes the date of the vernal equinox/first day of Spring). It continues on through the days of spring. After June 20th there is a picture page titled SUMMER and then with June 21st the stories continue each day through the season of Summer and so on through the rest of the year.

At the end of the book there is an Index which lists the poems and tales by alphabetical order. This is useful for quick reference of your favourites. I enjoyed looking through to see what story was on my birthdate and Mark’s too. Each of the stories are so cute and old-fashioned. I love it! It will be wonderful for boys and girls alike.

I’ll post some more pictures of it in the comments.

Carl books are mostly picture books. The main character of the books is Carl, a beautifully illustrated Rottweiler, who has many adventures while watching his owners baby at various locations. Their is always a bit of an adventure bur Carl faithfully protects the baby. I like these books because Carl is based on an actual Rottweiler and because the illustrations are so beautiful! I only own Carl’s Christmas and Follow Carl but I hope to own the whole collection some day. Mark loves these books as well and will love reading them with our babies!

I have fond childhood memories if the characters from the 100 acre woods! These are such cute stories with good values! This collection provides a fantastic way for kids to learn about being a good friend and about their own and others feelings. It’s also very fun to imagine a place where such adorable characters exist! Winnie-the-Pooh and his fellow friends are a necessary component of any stellar children’s book collection.

I have a whole case full of Walt Disney Record Books that my mother had given me as a child! I remember I loved them so much as a child. These books are wonderful because they are all the classic lovely stories that Disney had done up to that point. I have so many of them in the set. Some titles I own are:
10 The Rescuers
11. Peter Pan
12. The Aristocats
13. Snow White
14. The Jungle Book
15. Dumbo
*and many, many more!

1.  Mary Poppins
2.  Cinderella
3.  Sleeping Beauty
4.  Pete's Dragon
5.  It's a Small World
6.  Robin Hood
7.  Fox and the Hound
8.  Pinocchio
9.  Winnie the Pooh

I can’t wait till our children can use this vintage collection!

Mousekin books, for some reason, are all out of print so they are harder to come by. However, these are among my favourites as they are simply beautifully written and illustrated. The books are written from the perspective of a small field mouse named Mouskin whom has many adventures. These books are sweet and they give good lessons and are education in that they describe how the mouse lives, what he eats and how he survives. They also give information on other animals and their habitats.

List of Mousekin books

Mousekin’s Golden House
Mousekin’s Christmas Eve
Mousekin’s Fables
Mousekin’s Woodland Birthday
Mousekin’s Woodland Sleepers
Mousekin’s Family
Mousekin’s Frosty Friend
Mousekin’s ABC
Mousekin’s Thanksgiving
Mousekin’s Finds a Friend
Mousekin’s Easter Basket
Mousekin’s Woodland Birthday
Mousekin’s Mystery
Mousekin’s Lost Woodland
Mousekin’s Birth
Mousekin’s Close Call
Mousekin Takes a Trip

I own a couple Mousekin books but would simply LOVE to have the whole collection. However, they are very, very hard to come by as you can see here: http://www.logan.com/loganberry/most-miller.html

Looks like Mark (my husband) and I have a lot of flea markets, rummage sales, and thrift stores to check out this summer because I’d love to have a collection for our future children. There’s no way I could afford to buy them at the scalper prices they sell them for certain places online!

I have always loved Dr. Seuss books, especially The Lorax a compelling tale of the dangers of not caring for the environment. Dr. Seuss just has a way of speaking to children and entertaining them. These are great books for young readers to attempt! So silly, so fun, so creative! All around wonderful books!

Some other Dr. Seuss books are:

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.
Bartholomew & the Oobleck
The Butter Battle Book
Cat in the Hat
Cat in the Hat Comes Back
Cat in the Hat Songbook
The Cat’s Quizzer
Daisy-Head Mayzie
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
Dr. Seuss’s ABC
Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book
The Five Hundred Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
Foot Book
Fox in Socks
Great Day for Up!
Green Eggs and Ham
Happy Birthday to You
Hop on Pop
Horton Hatches the Egg
Horton Hears a Who
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Hunches in Bunches
I Am Not Going to Get up Today!
I Can Draw It Myself: By Me, Myself with a Little Help from My Friend Dr. Seuss
I Can Lick Thirty Tigers Today & Other Stories
I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!
I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew
If I Ran the Circus
If I Ran the Zoo
King’s Stilts
McElligot’s Pool
Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now.
Mister Brown Can Moo, Can You.
My Book About Me
Oh, Say Can You Say?
Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
Oh! The Thinks You Can Think!
On Beyond Zebra
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Scrambled Eggs Super!
Sneetches & Other Stories
There’s a Wocket in My Pocket!
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose
Yertle the Turtle & Other Stories
You’re Only Old Once!

The Witch’s Vacation
The Witch Grows Up
The Witch’s Christmas
The Witch Next Door

Norman Bridwell (author and illustrator of the Clifford books) has a series of books out that I love about a kindly witch and and her friendship with her two young neighbours. The stories are written from the viewpoint of a little girl and her brother whom live next door to the witch, which they lovingly refer to as, “our witch”.

These books are easy to read and entertaining with good lessons on not judging someone or something by how they/it first appear(s) to you! These books are great, especially for children who love fantasy genre of books.

“Sometimes you’ll do something that you really like and no one else does. You’ll feel terrible, but you’ve just got to press on and keep trying. If you like doing it and keep working at it, then someday you will succeed.” – Norman Bridwell