by Christi R. Suzanne

I went back to Arizona for my sister’s first baby shower over three years ago.  At the time it was the first one I’d been to, and I didn’t know what to bring or what to expect. My sister had registered at two stores and I just needed to pick something from her list, but instead I wanted to buy her a book, something that my niece would keep for years and remember throughout her life.  One of my favorite books was The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, so I opted for that.

That was almost four years ago and since then, I’ve been to my fair share of baby showers. I hate to admit it; I’m getting to that age.  It’s the same drill: show up with a present, play funny games, eat too much, and go home hours later wondering what the mother-to-be is going to do with all that stuff. 

One of the best, and least wasteful baby showers I’ve been to was a shower for one of my book group members.  The book group’s brilliant idea for a baby shower was a book-themed one.  What better way to invite someone into the world than give him or her books–the gift of knowledge and imagination.

Books are treasured forever.  That’s precisely why this kind of baby shower is considered green.  Although books are material objects, they’re also tools to stimulate imagination, thought, and best of all, cognitive learning skills.  Books teach kids basic skills such as counting, colors, and object recognition.  Later, they are a fantastic way to introduce more complex ideas.  Since books can be bought used, passed on to the next child, and later recycled, this is a great green baby gift!

Lily’s love for reading began in the womb, at her very own book baby shower

The gifts at the shower were exclusively books–no clothes, no diapers, and no toys. We were all expected to bring a beloved book from our childhoods.  Each person gave a little story or anecdote on why they loved the book they had given.  One person remembered reading Alexander’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst and liked it because it showed that it was okay to have a bad day.  Another person talked about how Ramona by Beverly Cleary was her favorite because she loved how imaginative the Ramona books were.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle prompted me to go outside and study the bugs in our flowerbeds. I also loved Serendipity by Stephen Cosgrove and other Cosgrove books because they involved animals or magical creatures.  These books always have a good moral at the end of the story.  Some other favorites included Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell, Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson, and Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl.

Since baby showers always include some sort of game, the host created a booklet with blank pages in it.  In a similar fashion as the game “exquisite corpse,” the book was passed around a circle.  The first person that started the game wrote a sentence, the next person drew a picture of the sentence and then turned the page to write a new sentence, and so on.  After the book was finished, the mother-to-be read it aloud and displayed the pictures.  At the end of the shower she got to take the book home with her and had some great memories (and not so great drawings) to show for it!

Other ideas for games for a book baby shower are creating your own Madlibs story to fill in, making bookmarks, creating a crossword puzzle or find-a-word game with a book theme for the guests to fill out or find.  Most of these ideas do not take long to make or play, but all of them are fun.  You could even have book-related prizes for the person who finishes the crossword first or finds all the hidden words first.

The author and her niece 

I’ve bought my fair share of books for my niece, Zoi, and other friends’ kids.  Most of the books I buy are books I remember from childhood or they are based on recommendations from friends.  Here is a list of my classic top ten books for children:

Classic Top 10 Book List for Children:

1.  Beatrix Potter Collection by Beatrix Potter

2.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

3.  Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry

4.  Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

5.  Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

6.  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

7.  Dear Zoo (lift-the-flap) by Rod Campbell

8. Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell

9.  Hop on Pop by Dr. Suess

10. The Complete Adventures of Curious George by Hans Augusto Rey

The last time I was in Arizona, Zoi, now three and a half, asked to be read to before her naps and when she went to bed at night. Besides the lessons books can teach a child, it’s a great way to slip in some quality time.  I hope that she will grow up remembering those times I spent reading to her when I was in town.  I know I will.  So as a service to the environment and to mental growth, I think books are the perfect green baby gift.  Happy reading!

                                               

Christi R. Suzanne resides in Portland, OR.  She is currently revising her first novel and publishing short articles on a free website called HubPages, http://hubpages.com/_ppp/profile/zannr.  Her articles are focused on books, animals, and general things she likes to research.