Outdoor baby cage

 

For the parent who would like to leave their toddler outside unsupervised, but is afraid of what the neighbors might think.  Save $15.  

Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves

Stumbled upon this blog today while looking for images of Maurice Sendak's illustrations.  You know Maurice Sendak, even if you don't immediately recognize the name.  He wrote and illustrated Where the Wild Things Are and also illustrated Wilhelm Grimm's Dear Mili.

The latter book was "Preserved in a letter written to a young girl, Mili, in 1816 and not discovered until 1983, the Grimm story is prefaced by a tender address in which he underscores the story's message: although there are many obstacles that can prevent people from being together, 'one human heart can go out to another, undeterred by what lies between.' The story that follows implies that love transcends even death." (-Publisher's Weekly). 

I had this book growing up, and I think it, along with George MacDonald's The Lost Princess are the only two children's books that made the transition with me through apartments in college, grad school, and now onto a bookshelf in my first "grown up home."  Reading the letter from Grimm to his niece about the power of love, especially between parent and child, between human beings separated by obstacles and tragedies, cemented the name Amelia and the nickname Mili for our little beanette.  

But I ramble.  Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves is a treasure trove of old books, classics you will remember from your own chilhood and the forgotten books you've never heard of, but should.  The blogger, B. Streetman, shares books with her son that I plan to peruse with our Mili, and is a great example of how reading to your child can increase their love of literacy.

"I love that my son --at almost six-- still loves me to read him anything... from Percy Jackson to a toddler book about colors. As long as the pictures are good and/or the story is well-written, he will turn no book away. I can't tell you how many play dates we've had when a child finds a book in our house and I start to read and then they realize how long it is (as in a picture book with more than 36 words) and they ask me to stop and just go through and show them the pictures. With the exception of some children who just have a natural aversion to sitting for extended periods of time, if you read to a child daily, they will want to be read to. Period."

Anyway, definitely a long post.  But I had to share this blog.  It is truly fantastic.

In other news, I will definitely get on announcing Mili's middle name, officially, as well as taking some pictures of how her room is shaping up as per your requests (via Facebook) ...now that my husband and I finally relocated our camera.   =)

And to those of you in school, teaching, or lucky enough to have one:  Happy Spring Break!!!