Reading With: Miranda

Friends, today we are excited to introduce you to Miranda. She reads, she blogs about reading and life in general (over at My Book Bloom) and you can also find her sharing wonderful book selections on instagram. We've always thought that readers are generally more interesting people than non-readers and Miranda continues to prove our, obviously biased, but still seemingly accurate point. We hope you enjoy the thoughts she shares as much as we did!

Name: Miranda
How many kids do you have and what are their ages? I have one daughter who is almost two.
What did you study in college? I have a BA in Liberal Arts and a MLS (Master of Library Science)
Where do you live? St. Louis, Missouri

What are 3 ways you foster reading in your home?

Like a lot of new parents I read a TON of board books to my daughter during those first several months. By the time she was ten-month-old I needed some variety, so I started reading picture books to her while she ate lunch. This made the dining experience much more enjoyable for both of us. Now my husband and I take turns reading to her during lunch and it's one of my favorite parts of the day.

Each week we go to two different story times. Depending on the week we either go to the history museum, library, bookstore, or the local animal adoption center. This routine has been a great way to introduce my daughter to reading in new environments. Not to mention the interactivity of these experiences helps connect reading to something that's an enjoyable activity.

Lastly, we foster reading in our home by making books available and accessible. Meaning that we have books in every room of the house and in our car. All three of us have our own bookshelf and we have two designated library totes that get a lot of use!

What 10 picture books do you think every home library should have?

1. Lily's Purple Plastic Purse
2. Knuffle Bunny
3. A Sick Day for Amos McGee
4. Snow (by Uri Shulevitz)
5. A wordless picture book (SO many that I love)
6. The Tea Party in the Woods
7. Dragons Love Tacos
8. Max Deluxe (a whimsical compilation)
9. A Frank Asch book (again, so may great ones)
10. The Little Prince (although it's not really a picture book, I couldn't leave it off the list)

If you had to pick your top 5 favorite illustrators who would they be?

Hopefully I'm not cheating by answering this question with a couple individuals that wear both hats of author and illustrator. Obviously this is a trick question, because there are too many talented illustrators to choose just five.

1. Christian Robinson
2. Julie Flett
3. Zacharaiah OHora
4. Tomi Ungerer
5. Molly Idle

What did your parents do to promote reading in your childhood home?

I have vivid memories of my mom reading a Childcraft book of Poems and Rhymes to me growing up and I'm lucky enough to have inherited that special book. I also appreciate that I was never made to feel bad for anything I was reading, even though some of my 5th grade reading choices were pretty abysmal. Finally, as a child, I loved bringing home those newspaper-like Scholastic book order forms on a regular basis. And even though I may have wanted to order a dozen books every month, my mom always made sure I was able to order at least one or tow. Thereby fostering my love of reading and enabling me to grow my own little childhood paperback collection. I wish I still had some of those books. Then again, would I really re-read The Babysitters Club as an adult?

What are you reading right now with your daughter?

We've been on a poetry kick lately, which as been fun to read bit-sized vignettes to our little girl. Some of our favorites include The Pet Project, Lemonade (or anything by Bob Raczka), and Stories from Bug Garden. Our other recent favorites are Let's Go to the Hardware Store and The Bear and the Piano.

What are you reading right now for yourself?

Currently, I'm reading two nonfiction books: Rising Strong and Bad Feminist; while my husband and I are reading Crucial Conversations together. I also just started reading Pax to have something a little lighter in the mix.

What are your favorite place to shop for books?

I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon, but still, it's where I end up purchasing most of the children's books in our home. Also, I try to hit up our local library sale every year because it's massive and has much better pricing. You can find similar sales here. Lastly, I've been purchasing more books from museum gift shops lately, because they offer well-designed and unique selections that are hard to find elsewhere.

Do you have a favorite children's Christmas book? If so, what is it?

Great question! I've actually collected children's Christmas books since I was in college. Which means I have several beloved favorites. How can you not? However, I absolutely adore Red Ranger Came Calling. It's best for ages 4+, but I've been known to read it aloud at holiday Christmas parties.

Can we see a "shelfie" from your home library?

I'm off to order Red Ranger Came Calling,  if you love reading and would like to be featured in our Reading With series please let us know!