In the beginning of December I started letting E choose which book we would read every night before bedtime. I would present three Christmas themed stories and each night she would look at the covers and place her hand on one of them. Reading had been a struggle for us up until this point. She was still too squirmy to make it through most books and I thought maybe giving her a choice would help keep her engaged for a tiny bit longer. Sometimes it worked, other times not so much, but she really seemed to enjoy selecting what to read. We still do this to this day, I present a few different options and let her choose which adventure we go on before bedtime. Of course, she still squirms away some nights.

I really enjoy this time together each night, and I think she does too. Books make such an excellent gift for children. Our shelves are filled with them. And so I wanted to note some of E’s favorites that she regularly selects for herself as part of our bedtime routine.

Below is our usual rotation and a few seasonal/holiday favorites!