What Ferret read in 2017 (Part 1)

Ferret is my now-almost-3 year old. These are recommendations from my book buys for her in 2017. Time flies.

Crafting an environment that could result in a deep love for books in my kid is my personal parenting priority. 2017 was the year that I started seriously researching for, investing in and curating a book collection for her. I also started Ferret’s Book Club and quite a few friends reached out to me for book recommendations. So here we go, but before that:

1. Some values are more important for me to pass on to my child, the books are reflective of that
2. I don’t really care of age appropriateness or age recommendations (how ironical, I know)
3. I’ll be breaking the list up into heart books (fiction, let’s me segue into life lessons, feelings) and mind books (non-fiction, let’s me segue into academic concepts/subjects). That’s how her books are organized in her bookshelf at home as well

Heart books-

1. The Wonderful Things You Will Be- If you are expecting a baby, put this on your wish list. If you know someone who is expecting a baby, give them this book. Beautifully illustrated, wonderfully narrates childhood to a child and gently overwhelms the reader (the parent) by illustrating the hopes they may have for their child.
2. In My Heart- I don’t quite like the phrase Terrible Two’s. The child is rapidly getting a grasp of things like assertion, independence, likes and dislikes. As a parent your job is to ensure that you help the child understand and process the many feelings he/she feels through the day. This book helps in explaining, in words and in adorable illustrations, the many feelings a little heart experiences.
3. What Color Is The Wind- Our first book on disability, this book introduces visual impairment and takes the reader on a sensory experience through a stunningly rich visual and tactile story. The way the story ends though is pure love and work of a creative, empathetic genius. Words can’t describe how much we love this book.
4. Home- We’ve moved six houses and three cities in the last seven years. So we know how one or many places can feel like home at the same time. This book introduces the heavily nuanced concept of ‘home’ through different nationalities, types of homes and cultures. Oh and it is beautifully illustrated.
5. The Sound of Silence- We all can greatly benefit from stillness and quiet in our lives. So can our children. Lovely way to introduce meditation, cultivating ‘boredom’, appreciation for peace and quiet.
6. What Do You Do With An Idea- Thanks to Kobi Yamada my daughter now thinks that ideas are yellow eggs with two scrawny legs :). I also got What Do You Do With A Problem because my daughter loved the Idea book so much.
7. A Child of Books, Here We Are- Two unlikely Oliver Jeffers recommendations but I think his creativity and storytelling really shines through in these two books. My child reaches out to read the many Jeffers books ever so often.
8. Julia Donaldson- Just buy whatever the lady sells. You can’t be of the best children’s books author for the longest time. Very British, very prolific, very entertaining stories!
9. The Story of Ferdinand- The story of a bull who doesn’t subscribe to the code of aggression designed for bull fight glory in Madrid but choose to smell the flowers instead. First published in 1936, Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite book that got banned in Nazi Germany. Who could have thought a simple children’s book would make a mark of leaders who changed the course of the world? Oh and now there’s a movie to boot as well.
10. The Giving Tree- The only book that has a bittersweet ending on our bookshelf. Such a precious book to introduce nature, her endless gifts to humans, unrequited love and above everything else, entitlement.

Will compile the part 2 soon enough. Happy reading with and to your little ones. Do share what’s on your child/children’s bookshelves.