Favorite kids' books

My sister in law did a post a while back about kids' books that she likes, and I've been wanting to do that too. Here is her post. We love going to the library, and often come back with quite a pile of books, and they're not for me (ha!). My children have become bibliophiles, just like me. I guess there are worse things to pass on than a love for reading and books.

There are some books that the kids love, like Berenstain Bears, Arthur, Curious George, Clifford and others. I like those, they're fine. I've nothing against them or the authors, but they're not my favorites. They're ones that I tolerate reading to the kids. They're not the blockbusters, the major award winners. Those are the tried-and-true mediocre books (in my opinion...)

I like many authors that are not major award winners too, they're fun and cute. Such as Sandra Boynton or Mercer Mayer's Little Critter books, which are fun and funny. I don't tire of reading them, and trust me- I should... I've read those books for years and I'm still not tired of them.  But these (see below) are some books that are wonderful, and classic. Some of them have won awards, such as the Caldecott Award medal or others. Others of them have not, but in my opinion they are still a wonderful book. So here are a few, since I have to limit myself...

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
This is a classic, since it was written in 1941 (before my Dad was born!) and has won the Caldecott Award Medal. It is about Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their search for the safe place to raise their family of ducklings in the busy city of Boston. My kids have loved it, and the drawings are phenomenal. We loved talking about all of the "old" cars in this book. We also talk about the kids following me in the store just like Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings! If you look online you can find pictures of the statue in Boston of Mrs. Mallard and the line of ducklings- so cute! His other famous award winning book "Blueberries for Sal" is also wonderful!

Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel is a wonderful book too, by Virginia Lee Burton. All of her books are our favorites, its hard to limit it to just one! We also love Katy and the Big Snow, as well as The Little House. In Mike Mulligan, he tries to get a job digging with his steam shovel MaryAnne, but there is not a lot of work anymore. So they finally get a job and start digging, and they love it when people watch them. They dig faster and faster... what a classic!

Kevin Henkes 
I like so many of his books, it's hard to narrow it down to just one. Some of our favorites are: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Julius the Baby of the World, Weekend with Wendell, Owen (which I posted about here) and Chrysanthemum. I think my favorite is Chrysanthemum. She loves her name, her parents love her name, until she goes to school and everyone teases her about her very long name. She wants to change her name... until the end. It is very sweet about being different and being an individual.

Skippyjohn Jones by Judy Schachner
This is one of the few books here that we don't own! This story is about a hyperactive kitten who has an intense imagination and thinks he is a chihuahua dog! His mama sends him to his room to do some serious thinking about being a Siamese cat, and he ends up playing and acting like all kinds of funny characters. It is full of rhyming chants and Spanish expressions, and his mother still loves him anyway. Of course the next day he starts on another adventure! It is a delightful book, especially when read with a Spanish accent!

Tea for Ruby by Sarah Ferguson (Dutchess of York)
I like this book and was turned on to it by a friend of mine from church. It is a great way to teach about manners using a cute book! And since I am raising three princesses (with hubby's and God's help, of course), that like dress-up, frilly gowns and pink, this is the perfect book for us! (Sshh- someone's getting it for their birthday...) The illustrator is the same that does the Fancy Nancy series of books. Ruby is invited to tea with the Queen, and the text and illustrations show her excitement as she learns and prepares for her tea. It is a fun, sweet, girly book!

Helen Lester

Once again, I like so many of her books, it is hard to narrow down just one. A few of our favorites are: Hurty Feelings, Listen Buddy, Me First, A Porcupine named Fluffy, Tacky the Penguin and Hooway for Wodney Wat. No, that's not a typo. Poor Rodney is teased because of the other kids because he can't pronounce his R's.  He is confronted with a bully and turns from a shy rodent with a speech impediment to the hero of the class. The hilarious illustrations and great text are so fun in all of the books. There are some good lessons learned in each of the author's books. And I found out that there is a new book coming out in October called, Wodney Wat's Wobot! I can hardly wait!

You Are Special by Max Lucado, 
and You are Mine, as well as Best of All. Max Lucado is a pastor, and an author of books for adults as well as children. He has a series of movies called "Hermie and Friends" which are great and teach lessons to kids. But this book is part of Lucado's series on Wemmicks, a little wooden people and their maker Eli. This story is about little Punchinello, who believes there is nothing special about him. That's not true, and he finds that out in this book, along with the reader. Even I need to be reminded sometimes that I am precious to God! God loves us despite our imperfections and flaws--such an important message!




These are just the children's picture books, I may have to do my favorite chapter books and toddler books in another post! :-D I hope you found some great books to read with your kids or grandkids, maybe some that you haven't read before. Maybe some that you could buy as a gift for a special kiddo in your life!