Purpose of this Blog...

You may have noticed that not all books are equal in capturing children's imaginations and in cultivating those innocent, tender souls. My goal is to help you find the ones that do!
(Painting by Mary Cassatt: "Mrs Cassatt Reading to her Grandchildren" -1888)




Friday, May 13, 2011

PARTIES WITH A BOOK THEME...


A month ago, I helped throw a baby shower for my niece, who is expecting a boy any day now! She and her husband already have two adorable beagles and decorated their nursery with puppies, so we went with the theme, "Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails".  I found an adorable card on Etsy, that I built the "boy theme" around: we decorated with natural tones and blues and...books!

I love this set of miniature Golden Books!
The unfinished wooden toys were purchased at a craft store.
We decked out the tables with small children's books, plants, stuffed animal puppies, and wooden toys.  On the invitation, we asked everyone to bring a picture book in lieu of a card.  I purchased a cute ex-libris puppy rubber stamp and as they arrived, each guest made a bookplate to adhere in their "book/card" to the baby.

This all got me thinking about the endless possibilities for book-themed baby showers and birthday parties!  You could go with general Nursery Rhymes or specific stories: Peter Rabbit, Curious George, Dr. Seuss, Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan... the choices are endless.

Martha Stewart has some really cute ideas for a book- themed baby shower with a Mother Goose Menu on her WEBSITE.
For tons of ideas from parents for parties based on children's books, click HERE.

Think of all the fun food inspiration you could get from picture books at a  Storytime Tea. You could match refreshment choices to favorite children's book titles, displaying the books next to the treats. Then read Miss Spider's Tea Party as an activity. Let me know if you have more ideas.

MENU IDEAS (WITH ACCOMPANYING BOOKS):
Cake!
The Duchess Bakes A Cake


Blueberry Muffins or Scones
Blueberries for Sal 
Blueberries for Sal (Viking Kestrel picture books) [Hardcover]


Madeline tea cakes
Madeline
Madeline


Chocolate desserts or candy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory


Strawberries and whipped cream
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear!
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear (Child's Play Library)

Chocolate chip cookies
If you Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give...)

Crustless jam sandwiches
Bread and Jam for Frances
Bread and Jam for Frances (I Can Read Book 2)

Melon balls (watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe) - served in a halved out watermelon
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Book and Memory Game (The World of Eric Carle)


Baby carrots and dip...
The Carrot Seed
The Carrot Seed [CARROT SEED ANNIV/E 60/E]

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4 comments:

  1. ErinSaturday, May 14, 2011

    My boys LOVE book-themed birthday parties. Over the years we've done: Maurice Sendak, Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Treehouse series), Cressida Cowell (How to Train Your Dragon series), King Arthur and others. Next week we're doing a Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson series) birthday and in June we're doing Eric Carle!

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  2. WendyLady@GoodBooksSaturday, May 14, 2011

    Cute!!!! I have a friend who did a really cute Hungry Caterpillar cake using cupcakes for the body (not sure if she made it, or ordered it from a bakery...it was adorable!)
    The Rick Riordan party sounds fun. I haven't read the Percy Jackson series. I think my husband may have.
    We did a Greek Mythology party for my daughter when she was around 8 or 9...we were reading A Children's Homer at the time and she just loved it! The kids came in togas - over their clothes - and we played "greek statue freeze dance" to Greek music. I even found little columns to put on the cake.
    Those days were fun. You're making great memories for your family. :)

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  3. UnknownMonday, May 16, 2011

    Aw mom, the photos turned out so so cute!! A fun day, and you're smart to share the ideas.

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  4. UnknownThursday, September 06, 2012

    Well this book theme is new to me but i looks great.Thanks for the pics of this wonderful theme.Pooh Baby Shower

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