Mindy Kaling Shares Her Favorite Books To Read To Her Daughter

When it comes to celebrity parenting advice, there are few people I'd be as willing to listen to as Mindy Kaling. Aside from being so relatable and honest, Kaling seems like she has a heart of gold, and would only share the best parenting wisdom she has. Be that as it is, Kaling opened up about her favorite books to read with daughter Katherine, and safe to say, it will give you inspiration for the next baby shower you have to attend, or maybe even inspire a revamp of your own children's "library."

Kaling took to Instagram stories to share some of her favorite books for her daughter on Jan. 7. "Every day I try to read my daughter Katherine three to five books, and what's great are board books, because three to five books of regular books would be interminable, but they're like really short and really fun," Kaling began. "As a parent, you read so many of these board books that you can tell the good ones from the bad ones, and you really try to avoid the bad ones because they make you stupider. Another thing to know about board books is that they get covered with spit. This entire book is 90 percent my daughter's saliva, and so that's kind of, I think, why they are board books, so that they can chew on them, because she's teething."

Kaling went on to share some of her and Katherine's favorites, mentioning specifically Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton. "I think she really likes the illustrations, which are incredibly friendly, and even though they are simple, they have so much emotion" Kaling explained. "But the most useful books for a selfish adult are books that encourage your child to sleep... so this Going To Bed book is a classic."

She went onto cite Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See, Peek-a-Baby, and Dr. Seuss books like There's A Wocket In My Pocket as Katherine's other favorites. She added that a lot of the books came from Oprah, who gave her a whole bookshelf full of them when she was pregnant (casual) but that for everyone else, these books are available on Amazon, and when you buy them you can see recommendations that are usually pretty solid. That's a pretty genius idea, Mindy. Kaling also requested that if any mom followers have great recommendations, to message or comment and share them, as she's always looking for more material for her baby.

In December of 2017, E! reported that Kaling delivered her first child, Katherine, in Los Angeles. The actress has been notably mum on who her daughter's father is (Entertainment Tonight reported that she did not write his name on her birth certificate) and a bit camera shy with her daughter, as she has not yet posted a photo of her face to Instagram or any other social media platforms (this isn't entirely uncommon with high-profile celebrities).

"I knew how much I would love her and love the experience of being with her. I never understood how much I would worry and how much that worry is unceasing," Kaling told TODAY about motherhood, and being a single parent. "Happiness for me, now, is just a feeling of relief. I’m in a constant state of worry but I’m enjoying it too. I hope she’s developing correctly — I’m anxious constantly. I’m hoping that will change a little bit. I haven’t even thought about when she’s bigger."

It's clear that Kaling is not only an amazing mother, she's also doing a stellar job at balancing her home life with her work, and if that's not enough reason to trust her with your children's book choices, I can't imagine what else is. Let's hope that this catches on and becomes a Mindy Mommy Book Club. (I'll be waiting for the invite.)

After a very frustrating first birth experience, this Deaf mother wanted a change. Will the help of two Deaf doulas give the quality communication and birth experience this mom wants and deserves? Watch Episode Four of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below, and visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes.