A truly heartwarming series of children's books. There's a P.K. Hallinan title for nearly every special occasion (Valentine's, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Back to School, Birthday, Earth Day) and value we want to teach our little ones (Let's Be Helpful, .. Honest, .. Polite, .. Patient, .. Happy). We're still collecting but hope to read more with each milestone. This "Let's Be Thankful" board book was a gift to Buby from his Great Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill on his first Christmas Eve at their house. A big tradition. I grabbed it off the shelf one night while rocking Buby in my arms. He was 4 months old. I used it as his bedtime prayer that night--a million nights ago--and it stuck. I recited it so many times that I memorized it the first week. The rhyming helped. And now it's just part of our bedtime ritual. We add more things we are thankful for at the end, but it always starts out like this:
"I like to be thankful for all I receive, from the tiniest seashell to the mightiest breeze. For when I am thankful, it's easy to see I tend to spend life living more joyfully! So, I'm thankful for small things, like bugs on the ground... And warm little puppies that follow me around. I'm thankful for fireflies that blink in the night and bright little stars that twinkle with light. I like to be thankful for bigger things, too--like seeing a sunrise... Or a trip to the zoo.
"I like to be thankful for all I receive, from the tiniest seashell to the mightiest breeze. For when I am thankful, it's easy to see I tend to spend life living more joyfully! So, I'm thankful for small things, like bugs on the ground... And warm little puppies that follow me around. I'm thankful for fireflies that blink in the night and bright little stars that twinkle with light. I like to be thankful for bigger things, too--like seeing a sunrise... Or a trip to the zoo.
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But I'm also thankful for everyday things, like a nice scoop of ice cream... Or just swinging on swings. I'm thankful for lemonade to sip from a glass. I'm thankful for baseball and thick wavy grass. And I'm thankful for others, who help me so much, like firemen and policemen and soldiers and such. I'm thankful for my teachers and all that they give. I'm thankful for my country--what a great place to live! But mostly I'm thankful for my family and friends who make me so happy.. Whose love never ends. And when all's said and done, it seems very clear... I like to be thankful just for being here."
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