"New Home!"

We're moving. Not a big cross-country move, but to another town in our same metro-area. I am extremely stressed by moves and therefore hoping to help Ladybug through the move as gently as possible. We have been reading a couple books to introduce her to the idea of a move. My favorite is The Berenstain Bears' Moving Day.

What I love about The Berenstain Bears book is how well the authors capture why a young family moves. The book is set "when Brother Bear was an only cub," which nicely mirrors our family of three. Things aren't bad in the current home, but they could be better. Mama and Papa Bear will have better work opportunities in the form of forests for furniture making and rich soil for gardening. As a current city-dweller in a ninth floor apartment, I really appreciated the description of the bears' old cave high on a mountain with a magnificent view! The bears' new tree house is even a fixer-upper with a little peeling bark. So many of the details are likely to apply to a young family.

This book covers all the basics. A kiddo gets to see what packing looks like, contemplate saying goodbye to friends, watch moving bears pack up the truck, and take the journey to the new home. I have been referring to the way the bears packed up as we have been packing our things into boxes. I tell Ladybug they are all going to the new home. She can say, "New home!" and calls the book "Bears' Home." I'm hopeful that moving day will be a little less stressful with this dialogue in place for us.