Happy Birthday to Me!

September brings to mind leaves changing colors, apples, and… birthdays! Well at least my birthday, which I share with Johnny Appleseed (along with a love of all things apple!).

When I was a child, all of my birthday parties were at home. My whole family would get together and I was always thrilled to see my cousins and eat cake!

Now, when we celebrate my nephews’ birthdays, the family still gets together but each birthday seems to be centered around a specific theme. We have had parties based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Little Blue Truck, dinosaurs, construction, and of course superheroes!

Planning these thematic parties can be a lot of work. Searching sites like Pinterest will give you many ideas for party games and decorating. In addition to checking stores like Party City and Party Fair, you may also want to explore online stores like Etsy. There you could find costumes/clothing (T.J. is wearing a pair of The Little Blue Truck shorts in honor of his first birthday), t-shirts, graphics, cake toppers, and more.

If you are getting ready to plan a birthday party, here are a few fun books that you may want use as your theme:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar 
By Eric Carle
Follow the progress of a hungry little caterpillar as he eats his way through a varied and very large quantity of food until, full at last, he forms a cocoon around himself and goes to sleep.

Fancy Nancy
By Jane O’Connor
A young girl who loves fancy things helps her family to be fancy for one special night.

Clifford, the Big Red Dog
By Norman Bridwell
Emily Elizabeth loves her huge dog Clifford, even though he is far from perfect.

Curious George
By H.A. Rey
Curious George illustrates a variety of emotions and states of being, including happy, proud, dizzy, naughty, silly, and, of course, curious.

Thomas & Friends. Misty Island Rescue
By Tommy Stubbs
The engines of Sodor help build a search and rescue center and their first mission is to find Thomas the Tank Engine.

I am Invited to a Party!
By Mo Willems
An Elephant & Piggie book.

Ladybug Girl
By David Soman
After her brother tells her she is too little to play with him, Lulu, dressed as Ladybug Girl, makes her own fun.

The Little Blue Truck
By Alice Schertle
A small blue truck finds his way out of a jam, with a little help from his friends.

Websites:
Pinterest - www.pinterest.com
Party City - www.partycity.com
Party Fair - partyfair.com
Etsy - www.etsy.com

- Michelle C., Robbinsville Branch