I've always been a reader.  I love all kinds of books- fiction, non-fiction, historical, adventure, young adult, children's... I love 'em all.  (Well, most all.  I don't have much patience for sappy romance novels.  Never could get through a single one of those.)  I remember the feeling of awe that would come over me as I entered the school library at Darnaby Elementary.  So many books in one place!  So many possibilities.  One year (2nd grade maybe?) my class read all the Caldecott medal winners, and because of that I still have a strong affection for those award-winning books.  So it is no surprise that I want to instill this love for books in my daughter, too.

Since she's only 10 months, we're still in the board book stage.  Little Pilgrim's Progress and The Doll in the Garden will have to wait a few more years.  For the most part, Gia loves her books... she's a baby genius, really.  Practically reading them to me.   Ok, who am I kidding?  She's more interested in eating the books than in me reading them to her.  And with her new little teeth, they almost all have teeth marks all over them.  Some of her favorites look like they went for a swim in the Amazon and were nibbled to bits by piranhas.  Enter these:





Have you heard of the books called "Indestructibles"?  They are quite literally, indestructible.  They have the feel of a strong paper or cardstock, but they are 100% BABY PROOF!  You can tear them, bite them, drop them, teethe on them, etc and they will not tear!  Gia absolutely loves these books.  And the best part?  They are washable.  Its no secret I am a bit of a germaphobe (though motherhood is making me a bit less so) so anything washable earns an extra 10 points automatically.  We take at least one of these books with us everywhere.  After lunch at our favorite Mexican spot where Gia dropped this book on the floor more than a dozen times, I decided it was time to test the waters and wash the book (pun totally intended).  Here's how it turned out:

I dropped it in the sink with soapy hot water and the rest of her toys I was washing that day.  I let it soak a few minutes.

The I ran hot (HOT) water over it to rinse.

then I just set it up to dry in the drying rack.

I am so happy to report that the book washed up beautifully!  They do get pretty wrinkled from all the chewing and crumpling that Gia does with them, but that's part of what makes them so great... they are pliable and bendable in little hands.  The colors stay beautiful, wash after wash; the binding stays in tact and best of all- they are clean!  The books don't really have a story in them, rather each page is a beautiful picture.  I like that, because it gives me an opportunity to make up a different story each time we "read" it, or to just talk about the picture.  So far, we have 3 of these books.  In addition to "Hey Diddle Diddle" we have:



They are less than $5 each and qualify for free Super Saver shipping on Amazon.  Sometimes if you're lucky you can even find them at Target!  These books are a must have for babies, toddlers, and mommies alike!  Gia loves to read her Indestructibles while we're in the car.  The other day we were driving and I looked in my rear-view mirror and could see her just looking at all the pictures!  So cute!  What about you?  Have you seen these books before?