Book Shelf

There are so many great board books that we've loved over the years.  Which ones are your favorites?

Here are just a few of ours:

Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton  

"A cow says MOO, A sheep says BAA."  This is the cutest little rhyming book about the sounds that animals make. 

Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! by Sandra Boynton

"Dinosuars HAPPY and dinosaurs SAD."  We love this book of opposites featuring cute little dinosaurs. 

Where is Baby's Belly Button? By Karen Katz

This lift-the-flap book covers different parts of the body.  "Where are baby's hands?"  The illustrations are brightly colored with pretty patterns.  

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle

This is a classic with a repetitive rhyming pattern and beautifully illustrated animals in different colors.  "I see a red bird looking at me."

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

This book starts off with a little egg on a leaf, then a caterpillar who eats and eats, then...a beautiful butterfly, of course.  As he's eating, the little caterpillar counts to 5 and introduces you to all different kinds of food.  "On Monday he ate through one apple." 

Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman

In this book, you'll find the zookeeper saying goodnight to all of the animals...while the gorilla lets them all out of their cages.  "Goodnight, Elephant."  Be sure to find the balloon and the moon on almost every page.  And look for the people in the neighbor's window. 

Dear Zoo:  A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell

"I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet."  The zoo sends all sorts of animals, but none of them seem to work out right...until finally the right one arrives.  The kids will love opening the flaps to find out which animal the zoo sends next.   

Here are some more suggestions from the American Library Association's booklist for babies and toddlers.

Which board books are your favorites? {tobuy}

In the book, How To Behave So Your Children Will, Too! by Sal Severe, the author offers the dream of every parent.  How to get well-behaved kids.  It sounds too simple, doesn't it?  Follow this book, and your kids will behave?  Hmmm... Actually, we think the book does give pretty good advice.  Being able to follow it is the hard part. 

The author says that parents run into trouble when they are inconsistent, procrastinate, and give warnings but don't follow through.  Parents also say things that they don't mean, lack patience, punish in anger, and attend to the negative rather than the positive.  Other problems are that parents criticize too much, don't plan, and don't recognize that their own patterns of behavior are part of the problem.

Suggestions the author gives to be a successful parent:

1. Let your kids make their own decisions and learn from their own mistakes.

Encourage cooperation.  Don't be controlling--teach self-control.

2. Be a good role model.

Take responsibility for your actions.  If you make a mistake, explain that you were wrong and apologize.  Speak calmly.  Be polite.  Read.  Eat healthy.  Exercise.  Your kids will, too.

3. Don't reward a tantrum.
State your expectations before you leave the house.  Give the kids a job to do, and praise them for good behavior.  Always follow through with the negative consequence if they do not behave appropriately.

4. Focus on the good behavior.
Recognize their efforts and improvements.  Have high expectations and confidence in your children.  Reward the good behavior with special activities.

5. Teach responsibility.
Use a chart, checklist, or a written contract to help your children focus on their goals and keep tabs on their progress.

6. Follow through on consequences immediately.
Keep your expectations specific, reasonable, and requiring effort, without frustration.  Allowing specific, reasonable, and enforceable consequences teaches cause and effect, and helps teach good decision-making. Be consistent!

7. Be proactive.
Take care of problems before they even start by laying down the ground rules and the expected consequences.

8. Create a positive family climate.
Emphasize togetherness, cooperation, and structure with flexibility, fun, and humor.  Avoid anger, criticism, rigidity, and defensiveness.

9. Build self-esteem.
Don't do things for your kids that they can do themselves.  Teach your kids to accept their strengths and weaknesses, overcome disappointments, love and support themselves, and look for alternative solutions.

10. Emphasize priority behaviors.
Set a goal and work on a couple of behaviors to change. Intervene with rewards or consequences, and see how well the plan works.  Adjust the plan as needed.

That's the author's advice in a nutshell.  What discipline strategies have worked for you?