Please bring a book

By Brianna

If you've been invited to a baby shower in the last 5-10 years, there's a good chance that you've received a cute, Pinterest-Perfect invitation, with a cute, Pinterest-Perfect request.  The request  seems simple enough.  In syrupy prose (that makes you gag a little), you're essentially asked to accompany any gift for the baby with a book, in place of a card. 

A baby shower invitation, requesting the recipient bring a book instead of a card

Honestly, honeyed rhyming aside, I've really liked this idea since the first time I stumbled on it.  There's no such thing as too early, when it comes to kids' reading.  And what better way to start a friend's baby on the right course than to help them build their library?  

So if it's such a good idea, what's the problem?  Well, if you're like me, you like picking out *The Gift,* and not just a gift.  You want to get it right.  You don't want to be the fifth person in a row to gift the new baby with Goodnight Moon.  Not that there's anything wrong with Goodnight Moon, it is a classic (and kids will chew and rip books, so this is one place where being unoriginal really wouldn't be so bad).  If you're like me, you'll either find yourself emptyhanded until the last minute, or with an Amazon cart so full of picture books that you already feel bad for your poor mail carrier.  It is at this point that the line in the invitation that says "It shouldn't be hard" starts to look really condescending and smug.  

It shouldn't be hard.

That's where we come in.  We are real moms, who truly love books.  Between the two of us, we have a couple decades of experience working in libraries and bookstores.  We see the flashy covers of new releases, and we see the battered, tattered, and dog-eared remains of the books kids genuinely love.  We'll use this site to keep a running list of books, old and new, that are hits among kids of all ages.  ​So whether you're just replacing your card with a single book, or you're gifting a whole basket of literature, we've got your back.