Tonight, Owen Ray asked me to read the board book classic "Go, Diego, Go: Deap Sea Rescue" (insert gag reflex).

This Dollar Tree special begins with the following:

"Help! Help! Ayudenme! Our friend, Luis, the Hawkbill Sea turtle is stranded in the middle of a busy harbor!" Alicia exclaimed. "Al recate! To the rescue!" Diego called out...

It seems they just pick hooks and key phrases from the TV show and hope that this will float the child along. Who brought this literary masterpiece into my home? That would be me. Why oh why do I pick out books from bargain bins instead of investing in quality picture books that will truly stimulate my child's curiousity and help them develop an appetite for good literature?

Our local library has been a great means of introducing me to the best of what's out there for children to read. It affords me the luxury of "trying" books out. You get to invite this book into your home for a few weeks, find out if it gets along with the whole family, and then make an informed decision about whether or not it deserves to take up permanent residence on your book shelf!

Having used this library try before you buy-esque method for a couple months now, I have settled on some formal adoptions (i.e. books I just purchased from Amazon)

1. HarperCollins Treasury of Picture Book Classics (a-freaking-mazing)

2. Put Me in the Zoo (one of my very favorites from my childhood)

3. The Tall Book of Nursery Tales (psyched - amazing illustrations; Owen Ray already loves the Tall Book of Mother Goose and is just starting to dig into nursery tales)

4. Go, Dog. Go! (not to be confused with Go, Diego, Go)

5. A Child's Garden of Verses (I LOVE this collection of poems written from a child's perspective by Robert Louis Stevenson. The illustrations are perfect. I managed to find a CD with some of these poems set to music).

I'm afraid with all these great new books set to arrive in a few short days, Diego will just have to find a new home.