While my first thought was to style something pretty with beautiful antique books, I decided to take a different route with this theme. As much as the artist in me sometimes craves the challenge and delight of styling a session to perfection, it's my love of raw emotion, real moments and everyday simplicities that has always been the driving force behind my photography, and I wanted to capture our real, everyday experience with books. I wanted to document my girl and her stacks of used, brightly coloured, unattractive, ripped and faded children's books - many purchased second-hand at a library sale. Paperback corners folded, board book corners chewed up, reminiscent of those first few teeth that would chomp everything in sight. These are the books that are strewn across our floor everyday. These are the books that my daughter holds dear and knows by heart. These are the books that bring me and my girl together every single day as we go through piles of them, reading familiar rhymes, pointing out favourite illustrations, snuggling close. These are the books that are opening my child's eyes to the world beyond our home, introducing her to the beautiful experience of losing yourself in a favourite story and daydreaming of faraway lands and imaginary characters. And so these are the books I photographed on a quiet morning with soft light streaming through the patio door as my barefoot girl indulged in her daily ritual. -xo

Please don't forget to follow the blog circle to see how the lovely ladies at Jessica Downey Photo, Red Rubber Studio and Alana Harris Photography interpreted this month's theme. First up, Julianna from Red Rubber Studio.