“On the highest rock of a tiny island
at the edge of the world stands a lighthouse.
It is built to last forever.
Sending its light out to see,
guiding the ships on their way.”

This book is one of my favorite books to read. I love finding books that tell a story about a different way of living – especially one that is so unique. My girls didn’t even realize that someone used to have to live in a lighthouse and the important role lighthouses play for boats. They thought it would be so cool to live inside a tall, circular lighthouse.

This is such a sweet story about a lighthouse keeper – how he spends his time alone and then eventually with his little family as he tends the lighthouse. The illustrations in this book are magical – feel so real and powerful.

Perfect to read with: 4+
Enhance your reading: The last time we read this book, we talked about what the girls would do all day if they lived in a lighthouse – how they would keep themselves entertained, if they would feel lonely, etc. which is more relevant now, than ever before.

“Tomorrow I’ll be CREATIVE. I’ll color and draw for hours. I’ll play a game of make-believe and use my magic powers.”

Our middle daughter had intense surgery at the beginning of February. Between the surgery and recovery, it was a rough few weeks. But those weeks were also filled with so much love and kindness from friends and family. We received this book during all that kindness.

I love this book because it is full of bright colors and bold words – Adventurous, Strong, Confident, Smart, etc. Each word is paired with a beautiful illustration and actions on how you can be that word.

Perfect to read with: 4+
Enhance your reading: Ask your child what they can/want to do for each of those words. This will help them understand the words better and make them actionable for them!

A few years ago, when my oldest was 4, we were getting ready for church one Sunday morning and she came into our room with one of her favorite dresses halfway on. Her head was half covered, arms dangling overhead and she was stuck. After trying to help her untangle herself and get the dress on, I realized it no longer fit her – and had to tell her she was too big for the dress. She was overcome with devastation and launched into an emotional tantrum, lamenting about how awful it is to grow up and that she wanted to stay the same size forever. I love this memory a lot more now looking back than I did at that moment. After she calmed down (30 minutes later) I reminded her of this book and how we grow out of things but can figure out a way to still enjoy it. This book continues to be a hit in our house, two years later.

As I was looking for new book crafts, I found these cute origami dresses on Pinterest and thought this would be a great activity for this book. We created little spoon dolls to wear the dresses once we were done.

Here are the supplies you will need:

• Patterned Paper (the video uses orogami paper, but I just used regular, scrap book paper)
  • Need to be cut into squares – whatever size you prefer. I cut mine into 8 X 8 squares.
• Wooden spoons
• Thin markers (for the faces of the dolls)

Here is the simple video I followed:

I watched it 2 times before I started folding, which made it easier to follow. The girls had such a fun time choosing the different paper they wanted to use for the dresses. I did most of the folding, but they taped the dresses on the dolls.

Did I teach her enough?

Did I spend enough time with her?

Did I create enough fun memories for her? 

Did I do a good enough job of teaching her to believe in herself? 

Is she ready to face the big wide world out there? The world I have tried to shelter her from the past 6 years?

Any other moms out there feel this same way? Any advice or coping mechanisms besides stuffing your face with chocolate?

To help ease us both into this next phase of life, we have been reading a lot of Back-To-School books to help get her ready. I wanted to share 8 of my favorite Back-to-School books that we have been reading and recommend adding to your shelf!

The Pout Pout Fish Goes To School

By: Deborah Diesen

The Pout Pout Fish books have been a big hit in our house so far – from the first board book to these new adventures. In this story, he recalls his first day of school – which starts out very rough. He gets lost and wanders into a random classroom and when he can’t do what the other students are doing he feels sad and counts off his troubles: “Trouble One: I’m not smart. Trouble Two: I’ll never get it. Trouble Three: I don’t belong. So four: I should forget it.” I love this little rhyme because all his troubles are feelings every kid will experience in school at some point. The troubles continue until he finds the right classroom and learns a new song from his new teacher, which helps him realize he is smart and he can do it!

The Kissing Hand

By: Audrey Penn

This is such a sweet story of Chester who doesn’t want to leave his mom and go to school (insert mom sob here). To help him with this new transition Mrs. Raccoon shows Chester an old secret of the “kissing hand.” A way for Chester to feel his mom’s love wherever he goes. This book does such a good job of talking about all the fears and concerns of a child going to school for the first time. I get teary every time we read it because it is so relatable!

The School’s First Day of School

By: Adam Rex

This is such a clever story about the first day of school from the school’s perspective. The school is nervous as he sees the children arriving and doesn’t know what to expect. It does such a good job of expressing emotions (sadness, embarrassment, happiness, pride, etc) that a child feels, but from the clever viewpoint of the school. My 6 year old loved it so much we read it three times in a row. The illustrations are so detailed and there is so much to look at on each page.

Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes

By Erin Litwin

Do your kids love Pete the Cat as much as my kids do? I will admit, I was skeptical when we checked out our first Pete the Cat book at the library, until I saw how much our girls enjoyed reading the clever songs Pete sings. The best thing about the Pete the Cat series is that Pete never worries or loses his cool when he is faced with a challenge. Instead, he comes up with a song to help him feel “groovy.” He encounters a few challenges during his first day back at school, but his school shoes and tunes help him through.

If You Take A Mouse To School

By: Laura Numeroff

Our girls love the “If you . . ” book series and this one is no exception. They love seeing what kind of mischief the mouse gets into. These books are a little harder for my 3 year old to follow, although ironically I feel like these books sometimes describe her perfectly. In this book, Mouse wants to experience every part of school – lockers, math, science, lunch, playtime, writing, etc. and by the end of the day have completely exhausted the little boy.

It’s Back To School We Go

By: Ellen Jackson

My oldest is a very curious child and loves to learn about other countries, so I was excited to see how we would enjoy this. It does a good job showcasing a variety of countries (Kenya, Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Peru, Germany, India, Russia, and US). There is a story for each country and then highlights from each country on their schooling as well, which was very interesting. This book is a little long, so we have been  reading about one or two countries at a time. This was not as engaging for my 3 year old, who still stayed within earshot to hear the book, but wanted to play instead of sitting with us while we read.

How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?

By: Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

We love these books – my girls giggle every time we read them as they see how the dinosaurs are acting. I think they are missing some of the irony of their behavior that can sometimes be very similar to what the dinosaurs are doing. They love the illustrations and finding the name of the dinosaurs on every page.

Monsters Love School

By: Mike Austin

After our oldest asked to check this out three library trips in a row, I decided it was time to add it to our permanent collection. This book is so vibrant and full of color, which is part of the reason my girls love it so much. Blue is nervous to go to school and at first doesn’t understand why he has to go to school because he already knows his “ABGs, 413s and XYDs.” But during his first day of school he realizes all the fun subjects and experiences school has to offer. This book is full of clever writing that keeps myself and the girls entertained.