Nancy Tillman Books (and other great children’s books for the littles in your life…)

OMG, Nancy Tillman books have my heart right now.

As you may have heard, our first little grandbaby is coming soon, and I have all the feels.

Recently, I was shopping for baby shower gifts and happened to come across On the Night You Were Born.

After fighting back tears as I read it in the store, I knew right then our little Poppy needed alllllll the Nancy Tillman books.

I mean really, it’s the perfect message of unconditional love to welcome a little one into the world. Let me show you:

From On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman:

On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, “Life will never be the same.”

Because there had never been anyone like you… ever in the world.

So enchanted with you were the wind and the rain, that they whispered the sound of your wonderful name.

It sailed through the farmland
High on the breeze…
Over the ocean…
And through the trees…
Until everyone heard it and everyone knew of the one and only ever you.

Not once had there been such eyes,
such a nose, such silly, wiggly, wonderful toes.

When the polar bears heard, they danced until dawn. From faraway places, the geese flew home. The moon stayed up until morning next day. And none of the ladybugs flew away.

So whenever you doubt just how special you are and you wonder who loves you, how much and how far, Listen for geese honking high in the sky. (They’re singing a song to remember you by.) Or notice the bears asleep at the zoo. (It’s because they’ve been dancing all night for you!) Or drift off to sleep to the sound of the wind. (Listen closely… it’s whispering your name again!)

If the moon stays up until morning one day, or a ladybug lands and decides to stay, or a little bird sits at your window awhile, it’s because they’re all hoping to see you smile…

For never before in story or rhyme
(not even once upon a time) has the world ever known a you, my friend, and it never will, not ever again…

Heaven blew every trumpet
And played every horn
On the wonderful, marvelous
Night you were born

I’m not crying, you’re crying….

See what I mean! Oh, my heart.

So into the cart went On the Night You Were Born, and at that moment I knew what my gift (okay one of my gifts) for little baby Poppy was going to be…

A bookcase loaded with good books!

(You can see the bookcase transformation HERE.)

I have a degree in literature and for almost 25 years I was an English teacher. My love for books runs deep.

When my kids were young, they always got a big box full of books that I had meticulously selected for them as one of their Christmas gifts.

The three of us spent hours at Barnes & Noble, sipping a Starbucks drink (which was a special and rare treat back then), and browsing all the books.

Remember back in the day, when Scholastic book orders came home from school on those newspaper-like order forms? Oh, how I loved those as a kid, and even though money was tight, my own parents always, always let me choose a book.

It’s never too early to nurture a love of reading in the littles in your life.

Trips to the store with my children when they were tiny went something like this:

“Mama, can I have a toy?”

Nope.

“Can I have candy?”

Nope.

“Can I have a book?”

Okay… 😍

Books are some of the very best gifts you can invest in for the children in your life.

Nancy Tillman Books

I purchased several Nancy Tillman books to start with for my baby shower gift. They are available in either hardcover or board book format.

In addition to On the Night You Were Born, I also selected:

• Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You

. . . I wanted you more than you’ll ever know,

so I sent love to follow wherever you go. . . .

• You’re Here for a Reason

You’re here for a reason. If you think you’re not
I would just say that perhaps you forgot . . .
a piece of the world that is precious and dear would surely be missing if you weren’t here.

• Because You’re Mine

The clouds can blow, the wind can call,
the snow can come, the rain can fall-
but they’ll just have to wait in line . . .

Because you’re mine. Because you’re mine.

• I’d Know You Anywhere, My Love

There are things about you quite unlike any other.
Things always known by your father or mother.
So if you decide to be different one day,
no worries… I’d know you anyway.

• You Are Loved: Welcome Wishes for New Babies

This book has space and prompts for writing personal messages, and is a great companion to On the Night You Were Born. Children love to read unique anecdotes and memories about themselves, and this book will definitely become a special keepsake.

There are many more incredibly beautiful Nancy Tillman books that I plan to add to sweet little Poppy’s collection for future occasions. Here are others that you might like:

DK Books Pop-up Peekaboo! series 

I love these pop-up books from DK Books. While the Nancy Tillman books help instill a message of unconditional love, the brightly colored Pop-up Peekaboo! books with lift-up flaps and engaging rhymes are perfect for building language skills and encouraging curiosity in young children.

I added 6 of them to Poppy’s bookshelf, but there are dozens in the series, so you are sure to find several that you love.

Children’s Classics

There are some books that just seem to be a rite of passage for children. Some of them I loved as a child, then passed them down to my own children, and now I’m buying them again for my grandchild.

I have a December birthday, and one of the first books I was gifted as a baby was ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.

I passed my love of this book on to my daughter because by the time she was two years old, she could recite the whole thing by memory. When I saw that my daughter had it on her baby shower registry, I knew I had to buy it!

Character Building

There are so many books available these days that promote good character and demonstrate strong female role models. Several of these titles made it onto Poppy’s bookshelf. ❤️

This list is certainly not all-inclusive of the amazing books available for children, and it surely won’t be the last of the books that I gift to my granddaughter and other future grandchildren.

What we read to our children matters, but what matters even more, is just that we do read to them…

Children who are read to learn two things: First, that reading is worthwhile, and second, that they are worthwhile. -Laura Bush

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Children’s Books Gift Ideas: