This Year, We’re Reading 1,000 Books
That’s right. 1,000 books. In a year.
But, okay. It’s not going to be that difficult. Let’s break it down: 1,000 books divided by 52 (weeks in a year) is 19.23. Round that up to 20, divide by seven, and you’ll find yourself reading three books a day.
And, of course, I’m doing it for the kids: the 1k books we’ll be reading are children’s books. So like, three a day, when you think about it, is nothin’. (Unless you’re reading three Dr. Seuss books. That man wrote some long early readers.)
Why are we aiming so high? Because I don’t read to my kids enough, is the short answer.
The longer answer is this: I was at the library one day and saw some marketing material for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. Which is both admirable, and daunting. Was I reading to my kids enough to make it to that 1k goalpost that the website explains is so very, very important for early literacy and academic success? Eek.
And what if I just took it above and beyond, and tried to read 1k books a year before kindergarten? Wouldn’t that be so much better?
I don’t know. Maybe I’m making myself crazy here. But in any case, this is where I’ll keep the comprehensive list of the books we’ve read. Each week (ideally) I’ll grab 20 more from the library and record them on here. I’ll also try and remember to do a review post of each batch of twenty. Try, being the operative word there. There are no guarantees with Emily’s Notebook.
Without further ado, the list as it stands. I’ll make special note of the books I and/or the kids particularly loved. Also, some books may be listed several times. That counts! (Oh, and update as of 9/15: not all books are listed, because life gets in the way. I guess that just means we’ll make it to the goal of 1k books even sooner!)
1000 Books In 1 Year (starting 7/19/21)
- Eloise Takes a Bawth by Kay Thompson
- I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (A huge favorite of mine since I read it in grad school pre-kids. It’s so simple, and SO funny.)
- The Sandcastle that Lola Built by Megan Maynor (A really cute take on The House that Jack Built.)
- The Little Airplane by Lois Lenski
- How to Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk
- Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book
- The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas by Tony Wilson (I’ve always had a huge issue with The Princess and the Pea, and this hilarious book resolves that issue completely.)
- Trainstop by Barbara Lehman
- Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle
- And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner
- Go Dog Go by P.D. Eastman (Ambrose LOVED this book when he was younger. It’s really simple and surprisingly educational.)
- Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
- Summer Supper by Rubin Pfeffer
- My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis by Paul Meisel
- Hooked by Tommy Greenwald (Super touching ending to this one. I’m choking up just thinking about it. I love the father/son role reversal too.)
- Pie is for Sharing by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard
- Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones
- Kellan’s Unbirthday Cake by KiwiCo
- Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America’s Test Kitchen (I love interactive books, and this is one of those. Fun to “bake” along with!)
- I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
- Go Dog Go by P.D. Eastman
- The Little Airplane by Lois Lenski
- Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America’s Test Kitchen
- I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
- Go Dog Go by P.D. Eastman
- The Little Airplane by Lois Lenski
- Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America’s Test Kitchen
- Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America’s Test Kitchen (Can you tell this was a hit?)
- I See Summer by Charles Ghigna
- Summer Color! by Diana Murray
- Summer Days and Summer Nights by Wong Herbert Yee
- Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America’s Test Kitchen
- Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America’s Test Kitchen
- The Bears’ Picnic by Jan & Stan Berenstain
- Summer Color! by Diana Murray
- A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
- Go Dog Go! by P.D. Eastman
- Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America’s Test Kitchen
- Max & Marla Are Having a Picnic by Alexandra Boiger
- Ice Cream Summer by Peter Sís
- Summer Color! by Diana Murray
- Papa’s Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming
- Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America’s Test Kitchen
- Sun by Sam Usher
- How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark Teague
- Curious George Takes a Job by H. A. Rey
- Snow by Sam Usher
- Rain by Sam Usher
- Free by Sam Usher
- The Little Sailboat by Lois Lenski
- A Camping Spree with Mister McGee by Chris van Dusen (A rhyming book that’s super fun and never feels forced.)
- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (I’m counting each night we read from this as a separate book.)
- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- A Camping Spree with Mister McGee by Chris van Dusen
- Curious George Takes a Job by H. A. Rey
- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Dr. Seuss’s ABC
- Edible Numbers by Jennifer Vogel Bass
- Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
- The Story of Little Babaji by Helen Bannerman
- Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
- The Nutcracker: A Babylit Dancing Primer by Jennifer Adams
- Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
- Larry Burkett’s How Our House Works
- What This Story Needs is a Pig in a Wig by Emma Virján
- The Planets by Gail Gibbons
- Apples by Gail Gibbons
- Larry Burkett’s How Our House Works
- Larry Burkett’s How Our House Works (I cannot tell you how much I loathe this book)
- Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli
- This Is How We Do It by Matt Lamonthe (This was the first time Ambrose was even vaguely interested in this book! It’s so freaking cool — one day in the lives of seven kids from around the world.)
- How a House is Built by Gail Gibbons
- The Reason for the Seasons by Gail Gibbons
- Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
mins
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