Books play such a huge role in our family, as I mentioned when I shared about how my kids and I made book donation totes to deliver to those in need. Reading is something I have done with all four of my children since they were tiny infants, as I feel strongly that establishing a love of reading early on is one of the most precious gifts you can give a child. Over the years, we have read hundreds of books, but there have been a dozen or so that have emerged as our all-time favorites. Today I thought I’d share our list of some of our favorite books so that you can look into adding them to your home library or borrowing them from your local library to enjoy with your own children!
Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.
Robert Munsch! Anything Robert Munsch is a favorite here, but our absolute favorite is (no, not I Love You Forever, that’s too sad for this wimpy mom to read) Paper Bag Princess. The ultimate princess/girl empowering story, and my boys love it too!
Also Grumpy Bird or Boo Hoo Bird, by Jeremy Tankard. The illustrations are absolutely amazing, and the storylines entertain all my kids plus my husband.
Goodnight Moon and The Napping House are 2 of my 18month old little man faves along with What’s up duck? And Corduroy. Click clack moo is really cute. Thanks for sharing I will have to look at some of the others! We love books in this house.
Those are so fun. I know most of them. Ella is obsessed with those cookie books. She also loves the Pinkalicious books and our newest book is Crafty Chloe.
I shared your post on my FB page 🙂
xoxoxo
Jen
Great list! My boys and I have read only half from that list and love them and I just put the other half on hold at the library. Can’t wait to read them. Thanks!
No kids… yet, but having my education degree I know all these and many more! I LOVE any Eric Carle book and all of the Kevin Henkes books are fabulous as well!
I racked up so many kid’s books while in school and working in a daycare that I am so set for when baby arrives! lol
LOVE childrens’ book and I am also always on the lookout for new ones. My all time favorite is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and also The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.
Great books! I love the Giving Tree! I did a similar post not too long ago. http://superfluouslysabro.blogspot.com/2012/01/favorite-childrens-books.html
All fantastic books…I think we have read them all, but especially The Giving Tree and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie!
Jessica @ Mom 4 Real
The Juggling Pug and Goldilocks Has Chickenpox are two of our family’s favorites.
For older kids, anything by Lauren Child, but especially Beware the Storybook Wolves and Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book? She also writes the Charlie and Lola books.
Here are my favorites: http://trophyw.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-favorite-toddler-books.html
Ooh my word. Between Barnyard Dance and Moo Ba La La La, I thought I would go insane. They are adorable books, but not when read 42 times in a row. My oldest was also obsessed with Richard Scary’s “I am a Bunny,” which is precious.
They love the Berenstain Bears books, which I loved as a child, and Fancy Nancy, of course. We have piles and piles of Little Golden Books…I am a huge fan of the classic ones with the Eloise Wilkins illustrations.
We also like to get books on tape. It breaks up long car trips. We only use our car DVD player on trips that are longer than an hour, but 6 hours of movies is a long time. They get so much more into the books on tape than I thought they would! Even my 4 year old laughed and enjoyed the Henry Huggins books by Beverly Cleary…and I thought those would be way too old for her! Good for their imaginations. 🙂
Can you tell we love books too? 😉
Those are all great, Amy! Check out Mem Fox’s books. Two of my favees are Where Is the Green Sheep? and Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge. I used them both a lot when teaching. I also love Piggies by Don and Aubrey Wood.
I love Audrey Wood books. My favorite would be The Big Hungry Bear. I love the illustrations too.
I would have to add Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton and Jamberry. Jamberry was one of my all time faves for both my kids and I can still recite it by heart! I also loved The Giant Jam Sandwich as a kid and was lucky enough to find a copy on Ebay!
I have been a teacher for 28 years and the mom of 2 grown-up kids but I still get excited about children’s books! My newest favorites are Bootsie Barker BItes, Molly the Pony ( this is a true story about a pony), Over in the meadow- I sing it to my class, The Cat Came Back- another one that I sing. Believe me I do not have the best voice, but my students love these books and request them over and over. The also love the Frances books by Russell Hoban and the little critter books by Mercer Meyer.
You’ve got to find “Those Darn Squirrels!” My little boy LOVES it!
Came across your post on pintrest. Great short list! I love most of these, but haven’t seen a few, so we will check them out!
A few of our very favorties that were not on your list:
Tickle the Duck by Ethan Long. A beautifully illustrated touch and feel book that will get your kids giggling.
Tumble Bumble by Felicia Bond — cute illustrations and great rhythm has kids chanting along.
Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen– my 13 month old always requests this. Very repetitive, rhythmic, and you can easily add actions or even act our the whole book. So fun!
My now 24 year Army SGT son LOVED to be read to at night and his all time favorites were the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder..Farmer Boy was his fav…. I think reading chapter books to your kids as they get older is really important in the development of their imagination, I wish he was that age again!
I teach kindergarten so children’s books are kind of my obsession. Everything else by Mo Willems is great, too. The Pigeon books and Elephant and Piggie books are hilarious and my kids beg me for them all the time. I agree with Jen a couple comments above-Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen is priceless. I managed to score an amazing pop up version from our local discount store and my class claps at the end every time I read it and they read along, of course. It can kind of be sung, too and I love any book that can be read rhythmically or made into a song. “Today is Monday” by Eric Carle is a good singing one. Also, anything by Todd Parr. His books have really bright illustrations and are so reassuring and uplifting. Some of my faves are “Reading Makes You Feel Good”, “The Peace Book”, “It’s Okay to Be Different”, and “This is My Hair”. Sorry for the novel. But those are all worth checking out if you haven’t already!!
Oh! And I, of course, love your list. Those are all staples of great children’s literature. I need to check out “Parts”, though! I don’t know that one.