I have a 6 (almost 7) year old and a 20-month-old at home, and with both, we've strived to instill a love of reading since they were born (and even before).  So our house is full of books.  So much so, that the kids' bookshelves won't even hold all their books.  I actually kind of love that.  

Anyway, I was reading to the 20-month-old yesterday and started thinking about lessons from these books that could be applied to my "real" world, grown-up life.  There are many more important lessons out there, I'm sure (and I'd love to hear yours), but here, in no particular order, are 10 marketing lessons I've learned from children's books -

1. The Rainbow Fish - Sharing what makes you special for free can bring rich rewards.

2. Goodnight Moon - Even the simplest details can be important.  The mouse in this book (mentioned only once and not at all the focus) inspired a local phenomenon called "Mice On Main" in Greenville, SC, which in turn inspired its own book, t-shirts, etc.

3. Where the Wild Things Are - My favorite book from childhood, this taught me both the power of imagination and the importance of having a warm, safe, comfortable place to come home to.  The marketing implications of both those ideas are powerful.

4. Giggle, Giggle, Quack - Pay attetntion, things are not always what they seem.  But if you're doing any sort of marketing, you probably know that - just remember it applies to things coming your way as well.

5. That's Not My Puppy , That's Not My Princess , That's Not My Dinosaur , etc. - Negative reinforcement works.

6. Oh, Baby, the Places You'll Go! - It's never too early to start.  Sooner is better than later.  It's better to do something good now, than try to do something perfect later (that moment never comes).

7. Caps for Sale - Sometimes the solution to your problem is so obvious you just can't see it.

8. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs - There may still be new life in even the oldest ideas if you're willing to look at them in a new way.

9. The Monster at the End of This Book - Often what we're afraid of isn't nearly as bad as we're imagining it will be - and often we're creating (or are ) the things we fear.

10. I Wanna Iguana - Persistence often pays off.