Our Current Reads + a Book Giveaway!

Our Current Reads + a Book Giveaway!
Ah, the joy of opening up a new book.

I am not even going to pretend that I am reading a whole lot these days. I wish I were. I was given Bread and Wine for Christmas, which is excellent thus far, and I've been reading Bringing Up Bebe since before Everett was even born, but honestly? I'll read perhaps two pages a week of something. That sounds incredibly illiterate of me, but that's the truth. This just ain't the season for in-depth reading! I miss it. I miss diving into a great novel, having my mind opened and illuminated to a fresh story, a transformative world. I will live to really read again, but for now, I am enjoying the nightly storytime sessions in the children's book section of our home, AKA, Everett's nursery.

I will often read board books to Everett during the daytime, but when bedtime rolls around, we pull out the lengthier storybooks. Stevie and I take turns doing "voices" for the different characters and I think we might enjoy each other's goofiness more than our child even comprehends. But he laughs (sometimes) and we are all having a good time with it, so you know, there's that.

We love the classics. We have read through the obvious Eric Carle and Dr. Seuss standbys, but lately we've been reading some oldie-but-goodies, like the Winnie the Pooh and Peter Rabbit Collections. We got both of these story sets for Christmas and have been taking our time to get through them because, like I said, we are having so much fun. My "Eeyore" voice is the worst. Stevie's "Rabbit" voice is really the worst. And Everett doesn't always cooperate (he prefers eating the books over reading them). But we pretend that means he has a great appetite for knowledge and adventure and we just keep going.

A Few of our Current Favorite Reads:
- The Jesus Storybook Bible
- Pooh's Library: The Winnie the Pooh Complete Set
- Make Way for Ducklings
- Oh, The Places You'll Go!
- The Complete Peter Rabbit Library
- You Are My Baby: Ocean

If you're anything like us, you enjoy reading these stories to your kiddos, but often get bored reading the same stories over and over again. It's always good to have a new book to dive into! I was recently asked to review the story Homer the Little Stray Cat, written by Pam Laskin, and I am excited to be able to offer two copies of the book as a giveaway!

My take on Homer the Little Stray Cat:
This book makes me really happy because it seems to be set in New York's Upper West Side, a former home of mine. The story follows Homer, a darling adventurous cat who likes to roam the city streets, never looking to settle down in one place. Homer is much like the millennials who are reading the book out loud to their little ones - his heart is ever divided between the joys of wanderlust and the comforts of home. Who can't relate to that? As he simultaneously longs for both, he discovers a love he wasn't sure he was looking for - in the eyes (and arms!) of a sweet boy who needs him, too. Homer is a poignant tale that teaches our littles it's okay to draw strength from the love and support of others. It's the very fuel that propels the discovery of big dreams with wide open hearts!

If you'd like to win a copy of this book, enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter below. The winners will be randomly selected and emailed a week from today, on March 30. Many thanks to Lisa Vanterpool (check out her online magazine Flat8!) for making this giveaway possible :)

Also, a quick reminder that the Lucky Palm Tree $50 gift card giveaway is still going on until the 24th at midnight - if you haven't entered yet, you can do so here! And you can get 20% off "new arrival" items online using the code OYKRISTEN at checkout.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck, sweet readers!