This week's theme is all about books I received as gifts when I was pregnant with my children. These are some of the first books to find their place on our bookshelves and introduced myself, my husband and my 2 boys to the wonderful world of children's books. Thank you for the gift.

Guess How Much I Love You
by Sam Mc Bratney

In this delightful book Little Nutbrown Hare wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare knew just how much he loved him. The description grows from outstretched arms of a tiny hare to down the lane all the way to river. But Little Nutbrown Hare is very tired and is falling asleep. He finally settles on, "right up to the moon." However, Big Nutbrown Hare is not finished and after the little hare falls asleep he adds, "I love you all the way to the moon, and back."

I cried when I first read this book and it still holds a special place in my heart now that we don't read it anymore. My boys still refer to Little Nutbrown Hare and we are always stretching out our arms or loving each other "all the way to the moon, and back."

Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown

When a book is still valued and cherished after 60 years it must be worthy of a read or two. My boys loved looking for the little mouse on every colourful page and enjoyed references to nursery rhymes on the black and white pages. With this rhyming board book my children could finish sentences and make connections to the pictures. It was a favourite as a bedtime story and we all particularly liked saying goodnight to the mush!

On the Night You Were Born
by Nancy Tillman

This is a poetry, picture book that every mommy should read. The words are charming and the pictures are beautiful. I felt it was written just for my son and I. For many years after his birth we were always looking for polar bears asleep at the zoo, geese flying home, the moon in the morning sky or ladybugs on a flower to prove just how special he was (an easy thing to do when you live in Manitoba and see the huge V's of geese flying in the prairie sky).

If you are looking for a gift for a new mom consider this book especially if the little bundle of joy was born at night while the moon was smiling with wonder and the wind whispered, "Life will never be the same."