The Magic of Reading with Your Kids

#harrypotter #harrypotterandthesorcerersstone #magic #books #reading #readingwithkids #lovetoread #MomsWhoRead #SaltyMamasBookClub #illustratedharrypotter #readingwithkids #readtokids

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From the time my kids were little little, I had dreams for them. All the usual things – I wanted them to be happy. I wanted them to follow their dreams. I wanted them to be good and decent and kind human beings.

And I wanted them to love reading.

I know how much I’ve gained from falling back in love with books. From the practical – expanding vocabulary, being well-read to engage in conversations with others, having a good and purposeful hobby – to the fantastical. That feeling of getting completely lost in a book, expanding my imagination, exploring new worlds, ideas, feelings. All of it.

I wanted that for my kids.

So for the past four and a half years, I’ve surrounded my kids with books. Story time at the local libraries, reading as many books as we can every night before bed, sitting and reading a book in front of them while they play, teaching them to take a book everywhere, and basically never saying “No” when they ask for a new book. 

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Picture Books Adults Will Love As Much as Their Kids Do

Looking for some books to read to your children that DON'T drive you crazy? Start with this list from thesaltymamas.com #childrensbooks #picturebooks

It’s the end of a long day, and you are one story away from watching Real Housewives in your PJs with a glass can of wine. You anxiously await your kids’ book decision.

Will it be the borderline unbearable “5 Minute Stories” book that contains stories WAY longer than 5 minutes? Will it be the one of the worst children’s books ever written? Or will it be a book you actually LIKE?

You may not get to choose the book every night, but you can stack the deck in your favor by purchasing more books that are fun for YOU to read.  Here’s a list of picture books adults will love as much as their kids do.

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Diverse Children’s Books featuring People of Color

Looking for some diverse children’s books to add to your children’s library? Check out our favorite kids’  picture books that happen to include people of color as the main character.

As the mother of two children of (varying shades of) color, I am always on the lookout for diverse picture books. Considering how important it is for kids to see people who like them in print and in the media, it is actually pretty shocking to me how few books feature characters that aren’t white (or aren’t animals for that matter, but that’s not what we’re talking about today).

And while I love books that explicitly teach kids about differences (Happy in My Skin and It’s Okay to Be Different being two of our favorites), my favorite thing is finding great books where the child’s ethnicity/race/culture is not the focus of the story, but simply a part of who the child is.

The character might (and should!) live in a world that is cognizant of their culture, but they are going through things the common kid goes through- like getting a new pet, being scared of monsters, or participating in the school’s science fair. 

So, here’s a list of our favorite diverse children’s books that just so happen to feature children of color in a starring role.

Looking to add to your children's picture book library? Make sure you check out these stellar choices- all of which happen to feature children of color is starring roles. Get the list of our favorite pictures books with diverse characters at TheSaltyMamas.com. #picturebooks #kidsbooks #raisingreaders #kids #parents #diversity #childrenofcolor #representationmatters

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