You know mama’s an English teacher if… ~ BabyLit Book Review

Not to brag or anything, but… my 19-month-old can name one of the sisters from the novel Pride and Prejudice. … Well, okay, only because it also happens to be the same as one of his cousins… but still, I’ll take it!

Why are we even talking about classic novels at this age? Maybe because I am an English teacher and Just. Can’t. Help. Myself.

But seriously, if not now, when? Why wait to show kids that oldies can be goodies? If they grow up having FUN with the classics, they will not be afraid of the “wherefore art thous” of Shakespeare, or the complicated love triangles of Austen.

It’s all about the playfulness, remember? And what is more playful than a picture book? Why, a Shakespearean BabyLit picture book of course!

You know your mama’s an English teacher if…

…she oohs and ahhs over Baby Shakespeare books

…she tells you she’s going to have you “write that in your journal” when you do something funny

…she corrects your grammar before you’re even two years old

…she explains how words can function as both nouns and verbs when you are confused by her using “train” as a verb (and ignores the blank stare you give her)

…she happily recounts your quoting Alice in Wonderland when Daddy gets home from work

…she can’t wait to read more BabyLit titles to you at bedtime

Big Classics in Baby Sized Books!

Yes, it’s true, we’ve been immersed in a new set of classics over here, thanks to BabyLit!

This series is genius, and I wish I had thought of it myself!

Little Miss Bronte’s Jane Eyre is a “counting primer” that details the scenes from this classic piece of literature beautifully! The illustrations beautifully fit the time period of the story and are finely detailed. Your child will count through the basic framework of the story of “One Governess” and her Mr. Rochester.

Baby Lit Little Master Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland departs from counting and instead dives into the world of colors! My son struggled recognizing certain colors, and I fully believe reading this book helped him recognize a the similar colors like black, brown, and purple! (He’s still figuring out yellow!). You can actually retell the Alice story right from the White Rabbit, through the colorful bottles Alice finds (my son loves when I read the labels “Blech!” and “Ick!”), and of course the Red Hearts. (And, I know, Wonderland can be a terrifying tale, but it’s easy to boil it down to just the fun details with this picture book!).

The other day, my son was playing nearby and I heard him quoting the Blue Caterpillar, saying, “Whooo are Youuu?” It was so funny to know he’d learned that from our reading!

Books to engage the littlest readers

Aren’t these books cute? They even have several of the plays by Shakespeare! I have had SO much fun counting my way through Romeo & Juliet and Austen Bablit Books!

One balcony. Five sisters. If you already know the stories, you will see humor and ingenuity in each choice. See, classic literature does not have to be dusty and stodgey.

And best of all… my son LOVES these books. He tells me all about the sheep in the house at Longbourn, or the tunnels under the bridges in Verona. Each picture has little details that make it fun to linger on each page, naming each object.

One day… I’ll read him the full stories… and he’ll be ready!

“With clever, simple counting text by Jennifer Adams, paired with stylish design and illustrations by Sugar’s Alison Oliver, Little Miss Austen and Little Master Shakespeare are a must for every savvy parent’s nursery library.”

Reading the classics to your child becomes exciting and refreshing with the BabyLit series, and will cultivate an interest for quality literature while they are young. Each BabyLit title is a heavy duty board book and is perfect as a gift item (I would’ve wanted these before I had children, honestly, they are that clever!).

What do you think of these classic literature picture books?