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.
tradition we are now happy to call our own. – Stephanie M
to read more about the author, the illustrator, and how
Joni’s company Three Hearts supports organizations to help children in
need reach more birthdays.
