Twas the night before your birthday...

I am a big fan of family traditions. And one of the best parts of having a family of my own is that we can create our own traditions. Whether schlepping to Aunt Stacy's every Thanksgiving for her perfect roasted turkey or watching the NYC July 4th fireworks from our backyard every year, they belong to us and make up a big part of our family identity.

So with our daughter's birthday last week we were super excited to start a brand new tradition of Birthday Eve. We introduced this custom with the wonderful poem and picture book The Night Before My Birthday Book by Joni Rubinstein. 

 

Joni, an elementary school counselor, wrote this poem to read to her children every year on the night before their birthdays. It became such an anticipated ritual in her home that she decided to share it with the rest of us. I am so so glad she did.

Beautifully illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, this book is a wonderful collaboration between author and illustrator. Bursting with color and multi-cultural elements it certainly captures the excitement that fills the air the night before a birthday.

There are places for you to fill in the blanks making it specific to your child on each reading, like how old he will be and how many candles are on the cake.  It's the birthday chronicle at the end of the book though where you can really make it your own; here you will find blank pages intended for years ahead where you can fill in the date, which of you read the book, what birthday is being celebrated and then record your child's birthday wishes and dreams along with events and accomplishments of the past year. 

Find More: Books for Kids, Party Time!