birthday books to read with your preschooler

Juliet turned 3 last week and I have been busy with birthday preparations (she requested a mermaid birthday party--more on that later, I promise!)

My friend Julie (of pancake fame) told me about a tradition she has with her daughter--a birthday book box. They have a box of birthday-themed books that she brings out especially for the month of her daughter's birthday. They read these books all throughout the month and then when it is over, they put them away until the next year. (By the way, she recently started a new blog called Anyways--check it out!)

I thought this was a fun and special way to use books to celebrate a child's birthday. We do the same thing with our Christmas books (bring them out every December and then pack them away until next year), so I thought this would work really well.

I didn't have time to search for special birthday books for our box this year, but I did go through our collection and pulled ten that feature a birthday scene in them (you know, cake, party hats, candles, etc.)

So here are our top ten birthday books scenes from some of our favorite books:

1. Charlotte and the White Horse by Ruth Krauss, Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

Okay, so this is not one of our favorite books as far as stories go, but I do LOVE the illustrations. (Maurice Sendak never disappoints.) Why is the horse crying? Because it's his party and he can cry if he wants to.

2. A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats

I love Peter and this picture of him blowing out his candles with his dog Willie. Have you read The Snowy Day and A Whistle for Willie yet?

3. Never Tease a Weasel by Jean Condor Soule, Illustrated by Denman Hampson

How many times can I mention this book on my blog? Apparently, not enough! Here it is again...sorry for the overkill, but this party-ready duck is too cute to resist.

4. Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman

This dog party is one of our all-time favorite parties. For a long time I was hoping to recreate this as her party theme. But then she requested mermaids, so I had to set it aside. Maybe next year we can have a dog party.

5. Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman

Do hatch-days count? I think they do. This tiny bird has quite the adventure on his first hatch-day. This is one that I remember reading with my mother when I was a little girl.

6. Is it Time for the Party?

This is one of those vintage Hallmark books that I picked up at goodwill. I know nothing about it except that it is really beautiful and Juliet adores it. It really is about a birthday party (unlike most of the other books in this list that just feature a party in them.) Do you see the clock hands? They really turn. This is part of the appeal.

7. Wee Mouses Peekaboo House by Jean Hirashima

This is a board book that we loved to read together when Juliet was a one-year old. I dug it out of storage because we love this birthday party image so much. Little Marty is having a party. I remember spending lots of time pouring over all the details of the party with my little Juliet. Her favorite part was the big bowl of blueberries.

8. The Little Kitten by Judy Dunn

Did you read these books as a kid? I had the one about a duck. I kept looking and looking for it when Juliet was first born and could never find it. I did find all the other versions, the goat, the rabbit, the kitty...finally, my mom discovered my old copy in her attic, so now I have that one, too. This one features Pickle the kitten who gets into trouble at Jenny's birthday party. I love the 70s/80s party gear. I think I sported that knee-high/jumper look at my birthday parties, too.

9. A New Dress for Maya by Malorie Blackman

I love the images in this book--the watercolor is beautiful. Maya wants a store-bought dress, but has to "settle" for one her mother makes. This is a nice reminder that not getting what you want may not always be a bad thing.

10. Little Bear's Friend by Else Holmelund Minarik, Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

We'll start and end with Sendak. Little Bear is one of Juliet's all time favorites and this party at owl's is one we read about often.

Do you have any favorite birthday books? What would you put in your birthday box?

I'm linking up to OhAmanda for Top Ten Tuesday! Check out her site for more great top ten lists!