All Things Bright and Beautiful

All Things Bright and Beautiful,by Ashley Bryan.  What a beautiful book!  A picked this one out of her collection a month ago and it is now firmly in the rotation.  I’m not a religious person and the inspiration for this book is an Anglican hymn, but I the references to God are general and not Christian specific.  She loves the pictures of the fish; I love the diverse images of the people and the art work in general.  The words are simple enough that A pretty much had her favorite parts memorized by the 4^th reading.  I recommend this book to anyone looking for a simple artistic children’s book that doesn’t mind general references to God as the creator.

Girls Hold Up This World

Girls Hold Up This World, by Jada Pinkett Smith.  I love this book!  My mom got it for A when she was first born and we read it every night as part of our bedtime routine.  It is a poem with wonderful photographs of girls from diverse background.  When A was a baby she loved looking at the different faces.  As she got older she loved the rhyming of the words.  I’m not sure if she understands the message yet - that all girls are smart and powerful - but my hope is to embed it in her subconscious.  I recommend it for everyone with a little girl at home.