In my opinion, you can never have too many books!

Sue :)

Lucky kids!

That's why your children are so smart. We had a hard time even giving away my son's books so it's nice to see you picking them up. But the gimmicky ones went with no problem - the ones with stuffed animals, etc. glued on.

I was thinking a few months ago about the books we had as a child. Remember the details in the illustrations? Beautiful artwork.

Hmm, I must see if my mom saved any of our books.

I can't think of a better addiction. I bet your kids love their books.

I've been addicted to books for seventy years! My two daughters and my son shared my addiction and so does my granddaughter. She is also seven years old, Nicole, and she reads at a 4th or 5th grade level or higher. She and her dad recently donated 140 books to the local library and she has stacks and stacks more at home. She insists on keeping any book that Grandma (me)gives to her! LOL

That looks more like a library than a bedroom LOL! Wish I had some little ones to read to. You can probably already see the positive results to your "addiction".

As a retired children's librarian, I commend you, Nicole! Your children are so fortunate.
Patti, have you thought of reading at your local library? We had two "story times" a week, and I always welcomed other adult readers for the children. You may have to audition (my readers always did) but reading to children is one of life's great rewards.

nicole, had to do a double take. Thought it was my grandson's room at first. Your children will stand heads above children that aren't given books. I grew up very poor, but very rich in one aspect. Spent every afternoon in the library, to this day, you will always find an open book in my bedroom or sitting room. Books carried me away to many lands from my humble country living. I was wherever I wanted to be , and also whatever I wanted to be for the day, a nurse, ballerina, discovering a new country. Good for you, what a wonderful addiction.

I have the same problem! And eventually the kids outgrow the books, need more mature books... and I have separation anxiety with getting rid of them. ;o) I have shelves like that, too. And boxes of the ones the kids are too old to read anymore (like all the Eric Carle books), but I can't bear to give away.

Even when I go to the bookstore for myself, I end up browsing children's books. I most often give books as gifts for kids and baby showers, just so I have an excuse to buy the ones I love but are too young for my kids.

Then since I teach middle school reading, I have an excuse to buy books for that age reader, too. It's pathetic. My 10 y/o DD suckers me. She loves to read, spends hours every day reading. She knows when she goes to the store with me I will almost always say yes to a book even though I'd say no to almost anything else she asked for.

DH absolutely considers it my addiction.

Stephanie, I haven't had to get rid of any yet because I keep having more kids! LOL! I'm sure it will just about kill me when the time comes. If I'm scouring a thrift store bookshelf, and I find a great book that we already have, I buy it anyhow and give it to friends. I can't resist!

I love the Eric Carle books! They're fantastic. I just went and counted, and found that we have 34 of them. Benjamin even has Eric Carle bedding. I'll see if I can find a picture that has the bed in it.

Here's one....

:)

Nicole, I did the same thing...I bought books everywhere I could find them for my daughter, and she had over 1000 books. They were read so many times that you could open any book to any page, start reading and she could complete the sentence.

She always loved books and made straight A's all through school. The summer after first grade, she was in the library's summer reading program and she read 470 books...all much higher than her grade level.

Someone once told me, you don't have to start so soon...they will learn soon enough. That isn't true. When your child learns to read early and loves books, you can just about guarantee that they are going to do well in school. You have given them a tremendous advantage.

I think that's awesome. That's a room after my own heart. Our boys rooms look just like that. We LOVE books and reading together was our favorite thing. They're 13 and 14 now so the library has changed. I now have all the old books. After all we should have grandkids someday, right?

I totally approve. And it isn't too hard to find children's books used.

Nicole, you are such a good mom. You are giving them a great gift. They have those wonderful books to read, and they are very appealing all organized on the shelves like that.

Nicole-That's a LOT of books!! I think it is wonderful that you are teaching your kids to love books! All of my kids loved them and I read to them almost from the time they were born. I still have some books that were my oldest DD's and she's almost 50! They are still in excellent condition. The twins love booksn too but they like to eat them.LOL Especially Jillian. Maybe she just needs some fiber in her diet?? LOL They love to look at the pictures and their mom reads to them all the time. She's a reader too so that's a good thing. Just hang on to all those books for your grandchildren!

I approve, too! And what a fun room to spend time in, it looks so nice, Nicole!

I still remember a few books we had as kids. I wish I could find them again, I'd like to have them but don't remember enough about them to search successfully.

I can't think of a better addiction. One of the best gifts you can give a child is a love of reading.

So many children's rooms today have tons of toys,a TV and a computer but not a book in sight. Your kids are very blessed to have you for their mommy.

It's a great room and obviously done for the boys' enjoyment.

I agree with Marilyn, your child can never have enough books. Lucky kids. My Dad used to say the greatest gift you can give a child is a book and growing up we had tons of books too and I still have many of them, at least the ones that weren't given away. LOL

I can't even begin to tell you how many books I have bought over the last 30 years for my nieces and nephews. They rarely got a toy from me for a present because I always bought them books. Their rooms looked just like your kids - shelves full of books and their kids rooms are just the same. I love it!

Sooo Nicole, you have all these books that need to be passed down to a new child - any idea when? LOL I need to get up your way or you need to get down here for a visit. I haven't met Oliver yet.

Anne

Thanks for posting this. Now I know I'm not alone. I've flooded my granddaughters with books. Luckily, their parents utilize all of them.

I used to buy books through the school, back in grade school they had this fundraising thing and would push you to buy books. Yeah, I got a lot of decent books but how many times can you REALLY read them? Would up giving them to my cousins and bought fewer. Now I'll only buy something spectacular or something like a vechicle service manual that will pay for itself. Although there were some book sale fundraisers years back where I got several bags of decent books. The price was right so they'd be reasonable for a one-use and donate/recycle.

Reading is a good thing though. Libraries are way under-utilized (at least in the proper method)

You are a great parent!

When my girls were young, we had the same problem. My rule was when we went to the grocery store on Friday nights, they each got to pick out a book. Back then, our grocery carried plenty of the Golden books. It was actually cheaper than a plastic toy and so much more beneficial for them too. As they got older, they had younger cousins to pass them down too. But these days, I have found out that most homeless shelters and homes for battered women and children will take books in good condition to pass out to kids. Also our local battered women's shelter were very grateful for all the stuffed animals my grandkids had collected and outgrown. I asked if the kids would be able to take their donated stuffed animal with them when they left the shelter and they said yes. Just something I thought I would pass along to parents left with outgrown books and animals.

What a blessing they have!

I would rather see parents buying tons of books and reading them to their kids then tons of toys. Books are way better and teaches them to grow up loving to read especially if they see parents reading books themselves and to them.

I loved looking after little ones and I loved reading to them, haveing them snuggling beside you and looking at the pictures and loving what was being read to them. Going to the library and picking out books together and bringing them home.

One little boy I looked after his mom and I had decided that he wouldn't get candy at grocery store, instead they had the Franklin books and so we bought those instead, one book at a time and which one should we get this time? He loved it tons and tons.

One mom I worked for, I loved her idea at easter instead of huge amount of candy which isn't good she bought the wooden train tracks for her two boys and hid them just like you would the eggs or candy and they loved them.

Christmas the same mom bought books and they had some really good books, well worth buying books.

Keep it up and read tons to your kids and also yourselves too.