LibraryThing

Because I hope to instill a deep love of reading and literature in Rowan, I have started acquiring books for him already- even ones that are way above his age level for now. He has a bookshelf in his play area that is almost full already (three whole shelves)! Some of the books I had before he was born, as I have a deep love of children's books and when I see a good one, I get it if I can. I am especially a sucker for a story with a message. Books in this category include Sadako, The Sissy Duckling, The Sneetches, and Stone Soup.

I also kept several of my favorite books from my own childhood. These include a gorgeously illustrated Aesop's Fables (that my grandma, who worked at a Rand McNally book binding factory, got for me), a version of The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, and a science textbook that had experiments that I loved as a kid.

To this end, I want to be sure he has books on a variety of subjects and books at different reading levels to keep him challenged. I want chapter books to read to him at night or on my lap at special times and books he can read himself at all ages. This is where my new project comes in: I made Rowan a LibraryThing. Check it out!

This website is awesome- it will help me keep track of his library and what he has (and still needs). As I see his developing preferences, I will rate the books (not according to my likes and dislikes, but his). This will help me use the recommendations that LibraryThing has as a feature more accurately.

As I uncover more titles with the recommendations feature, I will add them to Rowan's wishlist. This will help friends, fans, and family get Rowan things he can actually use (rather than yet another thing mama will ultimately repurpose or donate- please, no more battery-powered plastic things, please!).

To the left are images of books on Rowan's wishlist. I have high hopes for him- loving reading and going on adventures in his mind.