While there aren’t many true “Washingtonians,” after a while, if you’ve lived here long enough, you probably come to think of yourself as a Washingtonian. I moved here right after college in 1996 and but for a brief 18-month detour for graduate school, have lived inside or close to DC since then. Can I call myself a Washingtonian now? I think so.
At least I thought so until I received an advance copy of 1 2 3 Washington D.C., a newly released infant and toddlers board book from Duopress, about DC landmarks and notable places. What could I possibly learn from an infant’s board book, you might be wondering, if its purpose is to count from 1-10 showing colorful illustrations of our town?
Oh….you might be just as surprised as moi.
What’s the name of the elephant in the foyer entrance of the Museum of Natural History? Can you name him?
HENRY!
I had absolutely NO IDEA.
Is it because, at least in my family, we zoom past poor Henry so quickly to check out the dinosaurs, when we enter the Museum? I don’t know. But our kids should probably know this because they live here. And were born here, therefore they are true Washingtonians…
How about the Statue of Freedom on top of the Capitol building? Do you spend much time looking at it or discussing it with your kids, or are you like moi, zooming past, focusing on perhaps reaching Eastern Market or a destination on the Mall?
Might be time to stop with all the zooming….
Lucky for us, newly out this week from Duopress Books , a publisher of high quality children’s books, is 1 2 3 Washington D.C., a colorful counting book starring the landmarks and notable parts of DC, for babies through preschoolers. Duopress sent me an advance copy of the book and both my girls pounced at the chance to sit down with it (including my Kindergartener). What I like about the book is not just its simplicity but the conversation questions at the end of the book to help guide kids through learning about each of the landmarks featured throughout the book, including the Zoo’s beloved pandas. (Obviously here is where I learned about poor Henry, to whom we give the shaft, and where I realized I don’t bring the Statue of Freedom to my girls’ attention when we are zipping around the Capitol. #ParentingFail).
Bottom line: Raising kids in DC — it’s easy to take advantage of what this town offers our kids, and using the 1 2 3 book as a launch point, my girls had a lively discussion about which monuments they’ve seen, what we’ve noticed around town, how many cherry blossoms they’ve counted along the Tidal Basin and if they could name the airplanes and rockets at the Air & Space Museum (note to self – get back there after Spring Break). Also fun, on the Duopress web site, you can print out coloring pages for the kids from the DC book or from other books in this same series, featuring cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York.
What I specifically like about the 1 2 3 Washington D.C. book is this: It makes for a great shower gift or gift for friends traveling to town with little ones. I always love to give gifts that have something to do with Washington and this is a perfect gift to have on hand for such an occasion.
Today happens to be your lucky day because Duopress is giving away one copy of the book to a DC Moms reader. To enter all you have to do is “Like” their Facebook page and leave a comment on their page that you’ve entered.
This give-away ends on Wednesday, April 11. Don’t miss this great giveaway – your kids will love it or you’ll be thrilled to have the book on hand when the next shower invite comes through or next friend asks to come visit with your family!
Monica blogs at Wired Momma, where she tries to post her more usual snark and parenting commentary a few times a week. To keep up with the fun, “Like” the Wired Momma Facebook page.
Disclosure: Duopress gifted the book to me but my opinions here are my own.
