Build baby's first library by hosting a book shower

What if they gave a baby shower and no one came with onesies?

A new shower trend, the book shower, aims to stock the new baby's bookcase. The theme is catching on with modern moms, many of whom receive several showers and get plenty of the nuts and bolts of babydom.

Perhaps not as immediately practical as Diaper Genie refills, books more than make up the difference with sentimental meaning. Many book showers ask attendees to bring a favorite book from childhood or a book they cherished reading to their own child.

Susie Richardson of Urbandale, Iowa, hadn't heard of a book shower until her sister suggested throwing one for Richardson's son, Max, now 20 months old.

"When she first mentioned it, I thought, 'How weird,' " she says. "But it turned out to be wonderful. We have so many books, things I never would have thought to purchase on my own."

As Richardson's son is growing, he's slowly exploring the book collection, discovering new favorites such as "Bear Snores On" by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman (Margaret K. McElderry, 2002), "Oh David" by David Shannon (Blue Sky Press, 2005) and "Little Quack" by Lauren Thompson and Derek Anderson (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2003).

The best thing about the shower was the emotion and thought her friends and family invested in the gifts.

Inside the front covers, many of the givers inscribed short messages for the new baby. Mom and baby have discovered the notes as they've read the books.

Others gave Richardson books on motherhood.

Sisters were also behind the book shower thrown for Meghan Mueller of Grimes, Iowa.

"My sister Heidi is a teacher, and that's kind of how she came up with it," Mueller says. "We wanted to build up my son's library with a bunch of books."

Before the shower, Mueller anticipated a lot of duplicate books. She thought many guests would have the same favorites.

"I thought, 'I hope everyone brings gift receipts because everyone will bring the same ones,' " she says.

Instead, she received a mix of classics and new favorites, including "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein (HarperCollins, 1964) and "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak (HarperCollins, 1988).

Mueller's son is only 2 months old, but they already read to him from "Where The Wild Things Are" while getting him ready for bed.

While Mueller was delighted with the unusual shower, she hopes she doesn't have to attend one anytime soon.

"I have so many favorite books," she says. "I would have such a hard time picking."