So I decided to change this category from the Theme of the Month, to Themed Book Collections. There are just too many good books to recommend for only one book collection per month! This way, I get to share with you all more themed collections and more fantastic children’s books throughout the whole month!

*Introducing MaiStoryBooks’s first Themed Book Collection:*

*Mai* Childhood Bookshelf

Earlier this week, I climbed the rickety green ladder to the loft in my sister’s room, where a small bookshelf and miniature teddy bear couch created a cozy kids reading nook. Combing through a slightly dusty shelf of my old children’s books, I delved into flashbacks from the past: of pleas of *one more book* to avoid the inevitable nap time, of a slightly exasperated parent sneakily attempting to skip pages during the  20th reading of the same book *p.s. they weren’t successful- I knew the story inside and out by the 5th reading*, of *reading* to my younger brother- ignoring the unknown words and recreating versions of my own retelling.  Pulling out a pile of my favorites, I recalled my childhood as a little bookworm ~ the excitement of a bookstore + Jamba Juice smoothie outing, a library trip as a treat, the thrill of painting my own wooden bookcase to store my growing collection of books~ and I can’t wait to pass on this love for books to my own little ones ~ both as a teacher and a future parent!

For this first Themed Book Collection, I’m excited to share some of my favorite children’s books from my very own *childhood bookshelf*, plus maybe you’ll have a mini flashback of your own with these slightly older children books. Enjoy sharing with your child some of your own childhood favorites, perhaps something your parents read to you when you were younger~ connect the reading loop~!

So here is MaiStoryBook’s recommended reading list for the *Mai* childhood bookshelf theme – a collection of books that held my heart as a child. Please comment below and share your own childhood favorites to add to the list! I’ll add recommendations throughout the month ~ so that we can grow a community collection of children’s books from our very own *Childhood Bookshelves*

Recommended Reading List: *Mai* Childhood Bookshelf

1. Let’s Go Froggy by Jonathan London
2. Five Little Monkeys With Nothing To Do by Eileen Christelow
3. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
4. The Jolly Pocket Postman by Janet & Allen Ahlberg
5. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrated by Clement Hurd
6. Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse, Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee
7. Chips & Cookie: The First Adventure by Peg Kehret, Illustrated by Leslie Beaber
8. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff, Illustrated by Felicia Bond
9. A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
10. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
11. The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
12. Ten Items or Less by Stephanie Calmenson, Illustrated by Terri Super
13. The Timid Little Kitten by Barbara Shook Hazen, Illustrated by Jan Pfloog
14. Let’s Talk About…After Dark by Maria Vendrell & Rosa Capdevila
15. Madeline in America by Ludwig Bemelmans and John Marciano
16. Time for Bed by Men Fox, Illustrated by Jane Dyer
17. Maya and The Town that Loved a Tree by Kiki & Kathryn Shaw, Illustrated by Kiki

Take a sneak-peek inside this book collection:

• Let’s Go Froggy
  • Anyone read the Froggy books? The most outrageous little guy goes on the most hilarious daily adventures! Even the dentist is enjoyable with Froggy
• Five Little Monkeys With Nothing To Do 
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
  • Five Little Monkeys= five times as much mischief and fun
• The Jolly Pocket Postman 
  • Delightful interactive book with envelopes with a actual pull out letters for different fairytale characters

• The Runaway Bunny 
• Mama, Do You Love Me? 
  • 2 similar books: both involve little ones testing the limits of their mother’s love, only to find that a mother’s love is limitless and unconditional. No matter what, mama loves you!

• Chips & Cookie: The First Adventure 
  • As a child, I spent hours pouring over illustrations of a cookie candy land with a chocolate river. Perfect book for pairing with a warm batch of cookies and cool glass of milk.
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
  • The little ones can make the biggest mess~ Give a mouse a cookie, and enjoy the tumultuous adventure that ensues. A classic!

• A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
  • A little chameleon tries to find his own color. A fun story about finding your true self and discovering who you are.
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
  • Another classic of unconditional love ~
• The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
  • One of my favorite illustrators and storytellers, this interactive book teaches time with a series of flaps, colorful illustrations, and a quirky ladybug character.

• Ten Items or Less 
  • Every kid has that book they read 50,000 times in a row: this was mine. The predictable counting scheme in this Little Golden Book, plus the enticement of watermelon, cereal, cookie snacks, and a special prize at the end captivated my wonder!
• The Timid Little Kitten 
  • Another Little Golden Book, I couldn’t resist that adorable kitten! A sweet tale of finding your courage.
• Let’s Talk About…After Dark 
  • As a child, I was terrified of the dark *honestly, still slightly am* This story relieved some of my fright by explaining all the living, hustling, and bustling continuing throughout the night and around the world. Plus, it’s a dual language book, written both in English and Vietnamese.

• Madeline in America 
  • My favorite little girl growing up. In love with the cartoon TV show, I enjoyed the storybook version, relating the characters on the pages to the mini characters in my mind from the show. Engaging tales of a spunky little girl and her 11 other sister-friends.
• Time for Bed
  • My official bedtime good night story, mainly I loved the illustrations of the baby animals and mama animals. The pages are filled with cute, comforting animals and a rhythmic storyline.
• Maya and The Town that Loved a Tree
  • Main appeal: The book bears my namesake. However, this is a beautiful story about the environment and the power of trees and nature to bring people happiness and joy, and the importance of protecting our trees.

*~I hope you enjoyed this mini journey through my childhood bookshelf! Please comment below and share your own favorite children’s books from your childhood to add to this themed collection~*

Plus, checkout out a read aloud of one of my current favorites here. 

*~Until Next Time, Happy Reading~*