Here we start the 30 Books in 30 Day Challenge

Day 1: We're reading 2 books by Zoe and mums favorite author.... no points for guessing. .. Julia Donaldson. The Gruffallo and Monkey Puzzle.... Z loves these so much that she'll shower you with Love Hugs and kisses once you're done. For those who don't know.... Gruffallo is about a smart little mouse who creates an imaginary creature -Gruffallo, to scare the other animals in the woods... as he takes a stroll through the words... what happens when he actually meets The Gruffallo. Monkey Puzzle is about a little monkey who is looking for his lost mum...The butterfly tries to help, but will he be able to?... #HappyRaisingReaders

 

Day 2 We are celebrating Dr. Seuss' 110th. We read 2 of his famous (and Z's favorites). Both are written by Dr. Seuss as  Theo. LeSieg. 1st was '10 Apples Up on Top 'where a lion, a dog, and a tiger balance apples on their heads while doing all kind of tricks. The other was 'In a People House'. A Mouse invites a bird to take a tour of a 'people house'. Amidst all the chaos your beginning reader will learn 65 new words of things at home. #HappyRaisingReaders

Day 3: Today we are celebrating Animal Fun... So be it the Friendly Patched Work Elmer by David McKee... or the Llama who doesn't want to go to sleep without his Mama.... in Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney... And there is a ritual in our house... we start Llama Llama Red Pajama with this song.

 

Day 4- And today was reserved for 'Papa Please get the Moon for me' & Head to Toe... We thought, we have done Julia Donaldson, Dr. Seuss ... it was high time we do Eric Carle

She read it immediately after coming from School with her 'Reading Glasses' 

Day 5: Day 5 we talked about Kangaroos and both books are not 'Wordless' but have minimal words. First we read Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett (where there is a Kangaroo on just a page) and Pouch by David Ezra Stein. Her smile speaks it all.

Day 6- We are also celebrating World Book Day... we read Born to Read by Judy Sierra and Charlie Cook's favorite Book by Julia Donaldson. Zoe is a HUGE fan of both the books and so am I...

Day 7... Since we picked up What the Ladybird heard by Julia Donaldson... Z wanted to read another by the same author and she picked The Gruffalo's Child... Her wish is my command as far as picking books go.

Day 8 - What a beautiful theme... Today we read 2 books we really love... Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza. The first is a classic, but I'd like to talk about A Mother for Choco... Its a book about a little bird in search of her mom (sounds like another classic by P.D Eastman)... well it isn't ... This is a beautiful book you can pick to talk about adoption.

Day 9 - We read a beautiful book on daddies... 'Daddy calls me Doodlebug' by J. D. Lester... since she read a book about dads she picked a book about mums as well and we picked the beautiful Pranav's Picture by Nandini Nayar

P.S She wants to read TabbyMctat now because she says Tabby is daddy cat and Samuel Sprat is baby cat.

Day 10: Today we've not stuck to the theme as Z insisted on reading 3 books she loves... so we read There's a dragon at my school by Jenny Tyler  and Philip Hawthorn, Curious George visits the Zoo and A blessing from above by Patti Henderson. 

Day 11 - We read Chicka  Chicka Boom Boom and Dr. Seuss ABC... Ditto Padmini ... :-D

I use sounds instead of Alphabet names, I don't want Z to get confused and today my little reader surprised me by reading 'B-I-LL' Bill (Bill Martin Jr.) on the cover of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom :-D

Day 12 - I picked up 'Oh the Pets you can Get' By Seuss which highlights being kind to pets (very crucial per me) and The Golden Egg by Maggie Kneen, a book about a duck's Easter hunt (Z loves it)... but Z wanted more, so we read Big Dog...Little Dog by Eastman, P.D - a book that talks about friendship and opposites, What I like about me by Allia Zobel Nolan (We love this one) - an amazing book which tells kids that, when the world is talking about 'fitting in' being different makes you special. We finished it with Barty's Ketchup Catastrophe - by Sally Chambers

Day 13: Today was a celebration of Berenstain Bears so we read Bears of the wheels and Bears on the moon. Then Z wanted to read There's a Map on My Lap! - All About Maps by Tish Rabe. 

Day 14: We Love this theme and have got so many books which celebrate being yourself. In fact Tale in a Mail celebrated being yourself in January. We read 'What I Like About Me!' by Allia Zobel Nolan AGAIN coz I think it is a beautiful book on the theme. We also read Always by Ann Stott (this was part of TIAM) where a child asks his mom "Do you love me when I finger-paint with toothpaste on the bathroom mirror?" and lots of similar questions... mom just says 'I will love you Always... for who you are' ... and finally we read Tara Tomboy Princess: Tara's Favourite Things, the book talks about Princess Tara who is a tomboy and loves doing things she likes.... like climbing trees, making sand castles, and painting with her favorite colour green.

Thanks for the lovely theme The Bubble Ink

Day 15: We read Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis ... a beautiful flap/pop up book, which tells that you are never too little or too big to love. Another pick was Karen Katz' Excuse Me: A Little Book of Manners which beautifully tells your child about Manners... its a Flap book.

Day 16: Today Z read 2 books out for mommy - hope that counts :).... on the theme Leslie Patricelli's Baby Happy Baby Sad and Happy or Sad? (Making Faces) by Caroline Davis.

Then mommy read to Z  Opposites in Tinga Tinga Tales (it is an animation from Tiger Aspect, makers of the hit children's animation Charlie and Lola. Tinga Tinga Tales is inspired by traditional animal stories from Africa and the Tingatinga artwork of Tanzania, and is animated in Nairobi, Kenya.) We also read Snail and the whale by Julia Donaldson and ended our session with Night Night Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton

Day 17 The picks were easy... we read The Color Kittens and Elmer and the big bird. Today Daddy was at home so he read Elmer and I read Color Kittens.

Happy Holi

Day 18: So today I picked Jr. Kumbhakarna by Arundhati Venkatesh and Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown. Then Z wanted to read Postman Bear by Julia Donaldson and 10 Green Bottles a sing song book.

Day 19: Today Z came from school and said 'So Mamma, what are we reading today.' Yes, even before we could have lunch... We picked Zog by Julia Donaldson which was on the theme. Love the way Donaldson has shown even dragons can be good. I asked Z what else she wants to read. She picked up Whacky Wednesday by Theo LeSieg (Dr. Seuss), it's Z's LOL book. The 3rd she picked was The Susu Pals by Richa Jha which she loves she changes the name of the characters, there is Z (of course) and her besties in the book as per Z. I love the illustrations by Alicia Souza

 

Day 20: Happy World Storytelling Day ... Today Zoe read The very Hungry Caterpillar and made a handpaint caterpillar. We also Read ebooks from Pratham Books' 'Udte Udte' (Flying High) in Urdu and the Annual Haircut day in English. Today is also the 45th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Day 21: We aren't huge fans of sing-along books. Z doesn't like them a lot neither do I. The ones she likes she didn't want to read today... so I was in a fix... Today Z picked her own book. She picked 10 Little Monkeys and 10 green bottles hanging from the tree. Daddy read these to her.

Then I read Marvin K. Mooney, will you please go now by Dr. Seuss (a personal favorite) we finished our morning does of reading with Animal Orchestra by Tibor Gergely ... she loves this one because she loves musical instruments.

Day 22: Day 22: Sloppy Joe by Dave Keane, a book about a messy boy whose clothes and room is always messy. Since Z is this little Miss. 'Neat & Clean' she always has a big laugh saying 'What is he doing??? What is he wearing'

Then we shifted to The Smartest Giant In Town by Julia Donaldson, about the scruffiest giant who transforms into the smartest giant when he picks a new shirt, trousers, tie, belt, socks and shoes. George helps many animals on his way back home and becomes the kindest giant in town at the end of the story... (LOVE IT).

We then read Fanny by Holly Hobbie, about a girl who wants a Connie Doll (read Barbie) which her mom doesn't allow of. Then she makes her own doll - Annabelle. This is a story about Z & me... :)

Day 23: Being Zoe's Mom read The Susu Pals by Richa Jha with beautiful illustrations by Alicia Souza. It is a fun, humorous book about BFFs and how their relationship goes through ups and downs. They are 'Chaddi Pals' :)

Next we read Night Night Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton, Pookie has been read to Z since she was a year old. When I used to ask Z who her best fried was ... for the longest time her answer would be 'Little Pookie' ... so how can we miss out reading Little Pookie when the theme was 'Best Friends'

Day 24: We started with The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss ... then we moved on to The Story of Peppa Peg... Zoe's current favorite. We finished the reading with The Unboy Boy by Richa Jha - Another book that's close to our heart.

Day 25: Mom and Daughter are both down with fever. We gave school a miss but couldn't say no to books. So we read 10 Apples up on Top by Seuss (Apple being Zoe's favorite food). Then I let her pick 2 more books I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean! by Kevin Sherry - about a giant squid who loves to draw and starts drawing on the other fish in the ocean. We finally read a favorite The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown 

Day 26: So its Sick Day 2, I picked up The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein - a must for this prompt... actually a must for any day. You can't see that in the picture unfortunately. Then we read 2 of Z's favorite since she demanded - Tabby McTat and Room on the Broom.

Day 27: Today we read Party Animals by Kathie Lee Gifford. I love the illustrations and the message the book sends across. I cannot think of a child who wouldn't like the book. Then we read The Very Lonely Firefly by  Eric Carle and since Z wanted to read Pepper is Selfish, we read. 

Day 28 We read 'Snowmen at Christmas' by Caralyn Buehner, then we read 'Hide and Seek Pig' by Julia Donaldson which was gifted to Z by her Ammoo (Grand Mom), then we read The Thinga-ma-jigger is Coming Today! by Tish Rabe (what a super fun book) and we finished with Where is Baby's Valentine by Karen Katz

Day 29 We read Amazing Grace in Urdu, moving on to Junior Kumbhakarna Arundhati and finally read There's a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss

Day 30 We ended the challenge with Z's favorite author and her current favorite book  Room on the Broom... my God what an amazing book and how beautifully they have shown that witches can be the most kind hearted creatures in the world :-). We finished with Jack and FlumFlum Tree by Julia Donaldson. Love Love Love it.