A Baby Shower Idea for Book Lovers

Book-themed baby showers have been all the rage lately. They even made it to the top of Martha Stewart’s list of best baby shower themes! Remember the days when being a book nerd made you uncool? Those days are over. Today, there’s nothing more trendy than celebrating your love of literature at your baby shower. Have fun: the possibilities for creativity in snacks, invites, activities, decorations and party favors are endless. Here are some of our favorite ideas to help you plan your book-themed shower:

1. Children’s Book Inspired Snacks

Lay out a festive spread of snacks and treats classic children’s books. Do your parents still have the dog-eared favorites from your own babyhood? See if you can find any inspiration from those well-worn pages! Do any of these lovely old books ring a bell? The foods that go with them are simply delish.

(Thanks to carolina_snowglobe for letting us use these recipe images from her library baby shower).

Meatballs - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

This delightfully silly children’s book can provide a main dish for your baby shower.

Moonpies - Goodnight Moon

This wildly popular bedtime book goes great with a dish of moon pies.

Fruit tray - The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Although this fruit tray looks impressive, it’s not too hard to make. Use toothpicks to add grape eyes and a strawberry smile to an orange caterpillar head. The caterpillar antenna here are pipe cleaners, but if you have an inspiration for edible antenna, even better.

Chocolate chip cookies - If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Just remember: if you give a shower guest a cookie, they’re going to ask for some milk.

Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes - Blueberries for Sal

Or if you didn’t have the energy for mini cheesecakes, you could just serve your guests blueberries. Maybe serve them in a tin pail like the one little Sal used? That would be cute.

Jam sandwiches - Bread and Jam for Frances

Sometimes the simple things are the most delicious.

Veggie cups - Peter Rabbit

These are even better than the vegetables in Peter Rabbit (because there’s no vengeful farmers defending them and threatening to bake you into a pie).

Goldfish crackers - One Fish,Two Fish

They’re using goldfish crackers, but we’ve also seen this dish done with gummy fish.

Avocado deviled eggs - Green Eggs and Ham

You could also do ham sandwiches, but these avocado deviled eggs are as pretty as you get.

Pasta - Strega Nona

Another book that supplies a nice and hearty main dish. (Although, this pasta will not bubble up and overflow the entire village, happy to say.)

Finishing touch: the menu on book spines

Remember using grocery bags to make covers for your textbooks in middle school? Use grocery bags or nice fancy paper to cover up a few thick books: then write the menu items on the spines of the books. It’s a simple and easy way to really dress up the table. Plus, people with allergies and dietary restrictions always appreciate specific information.

2. Creatively Bookish Invites

Check-out card invites

Is there anything more nostalgic than an old-fashioned library checkout card? This is guaranteed to make your guests smile when they open the envelope. Etsy and Zazzle have tons of design options: if you use printables, make sure to get some nice cardstock.

Invites with enclosed bookplates

If you’re asking your guests to bring a children’s book, you may want to enclose a custom “bookplate” in the invitation. (A bookplate is a decorative label indicating ownership for pasting inside a book’s front cover.) Design your bookplate with space for words of love from the book’s giver. That way you’ll feel the love every time you set baby on your lap to read.

3. Book Based Activities

DIY Alphabet Book

$35.00

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Your guests can make baby’s first alphabet book right at the shower! This custom alphabet album comes with 26 pages that are blank save for a colorful letter: your friends and family fill in the words and illustrations. Don’t you love the idea of having an alphabet book filled with objects that are important to the people you love? If some of your guests approach this activity with a zany sense of humor–so much the better… we hope.

DIY Alphabet Blocks

$24.95

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Put your baby shower guests to work making the alphabet blocks which will teach your kid to read. All you have to do is order a set of undecorated wooden blocks plus whatever decorations and non-toxic markers you want (just keep in mind baby will definitely chew these at some point). This kit comes with pre-packed art supplies, but you could also put together your own set of art supplies and wooden blocks at a local craft store.

4. Book Themed Decorations

Hang books on twine to create book garlands

Don’t have time for elaborate crafts? Just put up a string, get out your library of children’s books, and hang the ones with the prettiest covers over the string. It won’t hurt them; it’ll just be like having a string bookmark inside them for a little while. (We know a lot of literature lovers wince at the book destruction involved in other book-themed crafts. Never fear; your beloved books will be safe up there on the string).

Use book quotes for decoration

What are your favorite quotes from children’s literature? Print them up! They’ll be great conversation-starters: you’ll be surprised at how many nostalgic stories and memories these quotes will spark.

5. Bookish Party Favors

Bookworm Gummy Worms

“Please enjoy these bookworms.” Nothing says party favor like including a “hilarious” pun, amirite?! Plus, gummy worms sure bring back childhood memories. (If you’re not a worm person, we hear that, “I am a book dragon, not a bookworm,” is starting to be a thing).

Book Page Wrapped Favors

This mama-to-be wanted to share her favorite brand of handmade soaps with her friends, so she took book pages, wrapped them around the soaps, and closed them up with a sticker that said: “Enjoy a soak in the tub with a book that you love.” If you’re not into scented soaps, you could also do this with fancy chocolate bars, nice pencil cases, or any type of favor box really.

It’s never too early to start loving books

Throw a book-themed shower and get your baby started on their lifetime love of books even before they turn zero years old. When they get older, they’ll have an alphabet book or alphabet blocks full of friend and family love. What could be a better introduction to the world of reading?