Crafting a rhyming book is a tricky task. First, you need to make sure the cadence of the book stays strong from line to line while also writing a compelling story. It definitely takes time to perfect the flow of the words on the page and create a story with a beginning, middle and end. Sometimes the words flow very naturally, but more likely than not, it takes many edits until a final version is complete.
So, when I was asked by shepherd.com, an online database of terrific books, to select my five favorite rhyming books, it definitely took some time to decide. Initially I thought back to books that became favorites for my own kids and we enjoyed reading night after night. Some of these books evoke such warm memories of everyone snuggled in bed or on the couch reading together. But then I thought about the books that made us laugh or taught us a lesson or were so creative it made me want to start writing that minute. Each of the books I selected hold a special memory for me and help capture that point in time with my kids.
And even though they are now 14 and 11, when I was reading these stories all over again while writing the blog post, they both took time to check out my selections and share a memory or two about their favorite. This post gave me the opportunity to jump back in time for a little and remember how much we always treasured our time together reading a picture book. It truly is a magical experience.