Make Sweet Memories with the Gift of Children’s Books
“Animals at Home,” an adorable little book available at Lagom, has us remembering the cozy times we spent reading to our kids at night.
“In our house bedtime was always a special time spent with my kids,” says Brooke Albanese, Lagom’s owner. “It’s a time we could come together, laugh, tell stories and read books (usually the same one a million times over). Now they have grown but I have held on to those special books that hold those memories tight within their pages.”
I have the same kinds of memories of reading to my son. We’d laugh and recite the same passages over and over. It was a nice way to connect at the end of a busy day.
Sharing favorite books is a wonderful baby gift. When I was pregnant, my book club friends coordinated a baby shower for me where they each gave me copies of books they loved as children or loved reading with their children. Those books became some of the ones we enjoyed the most. 
Here are some of our favorite children’s books:
Brooke:
“Freight Train” by Donald Crewes. Packed with bright images of colorful train cars, this Caldecott Honor winner brings to life the feeling of watching a train go by.
“The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister. Beautiful, shiny illustrations underscore a tale of friendship.
“And my youngest son loved anything by the author Robert Munsch.” Books like “The Paper Bag Princess” and “Love You Forever” are loved by lots of families.
Jan:
“Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler Some Monkeys and their Monkey Business” by Esphyr Slobodkina. A folksy tale about crafty monkeys and a weary peddler.
“The Giant Jam Sandwich” by John Vernon Lord. A tale of a town that works together to find a solution for a big wasp problem.
Baby Signs books. Babies can communicate before they can speak with these signs. And they love looking at pictures of other babies.
Marella:
For kids a little bit older, Marella remembers loving the Spiderwick books especially the "field guide" “’cause I liked the art.”
She also liked the Dragonology books “I loved dragons and legit thought they were a real thing people could own.”
Note: We’ve included links to Lift Bridge Book Shop in this article. They have many of our favorite books on the shelf, or you can order them and pick them up in store. Lift Bridge is just across the street from Lagom in Brockport, NY, so it’s easy to visit us both!