Good Reads on Rainy Days in NYC

Not every rainy day can be filled with outdoor adventures, especially if those days also happen to be school days. I know tons of moms who spend these types of days doing all sorts of cool arts and crafts projects with their kids, and other moms who spend the day baking interesting and fun goodies that engage the child, and other moms that come up with other awesome activities that really serve as entertainment for their kids on crummy days like these.

Then there is me. I like to take my kids out and jump in puddles, or hide in a museum checking out what’s new (or old) and exciting, or hang out at the bookstore with the nannies, or stay at home. And then when we do stay home, like today, I am not inspired to cut and paste or build or bake…well, baking sometimes, but not today.

So what we do instead is play. A lot. Dragons, and hungry bears. As I write this the boys have stated that they needed to rest, as we just finished a long and exhausting game of “Mommy Wolf and The Two Little Pigs” where I “blew down” all the doors that could be closed in our apartment. These games are loud and fun, and sometimes seem endless.

But when they do end, we like to read. We cuddle up on the couch, or lower bunk bed, or my bed and read. Sometimes the same book over and over, other times multiple books back to back.

It seems to be the most perfect activity for us on rainy NYC days like these, and these are our favorites:

How Do Dinosaurs…? by Jane Tolen – We don’t have all of the books in this series, but really, really want them. My kids LOVE these books, and they are perfect in encouraging them to do what ever the task may be: brush their teeth, eat their food, go to school, go to bed, in the same way a “good little dinosaur” would. I also found out during Toy Fair 2010, that  Merry Makers, Inc. will be releasing plush How Do Dinosaur toys in Spring of 2010 along with other story time favorites. I can’t tell you how excited I am.

If You Give A Moose A Muffin by Laura Joff Numeroff – Because on top of the fact that we are reading about two of my kids’ favorite things (muffins and jelly), the kids can never get over the moose…in a house…eating muffins.

When I Feel… by Cornelia Maude Spelman – There are several books in this series: Angry, Sad, Scared, etc. I got these books when my now 12 year old was 4 and I, as a new and single mother, had no idea how to deal with my little boys many uncontrollable emotions. They help his brothers think about them, the same way they helped him at their age. It is definitely a great conversation starter about whatever the emotion may be.

Huevos Verdes con Jamón by Dr. Suess – I have both the Spanish and English version of Green Eggs and Ham. I try to find the Spanish versions of most books, but Dr. Seuss books especially because they are so easy to understand for my kids whom I am trying to introduce the language more to.

No David by David Shannon – This, and David va al colegio, by the same author, is a favorite of the little ones, as they associate the character to being their older brother as a younger child getting into all sorts of trouble.

Monster Mischief by Pamela Jane - No explanation for why my boys love this book so much, maybe it’s the mischief, I don’t know, except that they love monsters in books and the monster games that normally follow.

And last, but certainly not least,

ABC NYC: A Book About Seeing New York City by Joanne Dugan – This book was a gift from a friend to me when I lived in Wisconsin and has become one of my favorite reads to my kids. Now, they are familiar with a lot of the sights highlighted in the book, but they enjoy it still, and learn the alphabet too! If you are traveling to NYC with your kids, this book is a great way to introduce some of the famous landmarks and sights they will see when they get here. It could also be a fun game of “find the letter” while walking through the city.

So there you have it. Not the only books, but the ones I can probably retell in my sleep. The ones that make almost every plane and road trip with us, the ones that are read almost every night before bed, and the ones that make rainy, dreary days come alive with imagination.

What are your household favorites?  Which would you recommend we check out?

Tags: nyc
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