My daughter Helena is ten weeks old as of yesterday, and she is my first child. We had her baby shower a few weeks ago, instead of having it before she was born, because things were just too hectic in the months before her birth. We had recently moved into a new house and needed to unpack and landscape our yard. Besides that, we also had to prepare for baby and take our baby classes!

When we were registering for shower gifts, I realized that we already had most of the baby items we needed. I figured that most people would probably buy her clothes anyway, but I needed to put something on the registry. I was looking through Amazon's website for ideas, and found some childrens' books I loved and decided to add those to her registry. My mother ended up purchasing a small library of books as her gift, and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait until Helena is old enough to enjoy them as much as I did as a child.

I have a hard time singling out a particular book, since there are so many wonderful ones to choose from. However, I think the book I am most excited to read with my daughter is "Yertle the Turtle" by Dr. Seuss. I've always loved Dr. Seuss stories, and this one the most, because they were so unusual. They aren't the normal sentimental stuff that you see in a  lot of childrens' books. Dr. Seuss has his own little world with strange characters and talking animals, but there aren't any cute unicorns or scary dragons that you see in other fantasy books for kids. His world is our world with a whimsical, zany spin to it. The stories have morals, but they don't shove them down your throat. They make you laugh. Sometimes out loud. And, best of all, the books are so much fun to read. Not in your head, but out loud for the whole family to enjoy. These books were written to be read aloud. Can you read those wonderful rhymes in your head and not want to say them out loud? Impossible, I think.

I loved reading as a child, and I cannot wait to share the gift of reading with my little girl. I can already hear her giggles in my head as Mack burps and Yertle tumbles to the ground!