Best Books: Children's Edition

Even though she's only a year old, Charlotte already has a bookcase in her room that's almost full.  She had a healthy head start when, around the 10th week or so of my pregnancy, my sister-in-law Sondra arrived on my doorstep with a huge box full of books she'd been collecting for her future niece/nephew.    She is a wonderful resource for all things kid related since she's a preschool teacher.  Since she's also an avid reader, she knew all the books to get that kids love that aren't as well known as some as well as which classics to have.  Our library does a book sale four times a year and we've found tons of barely used books that way--for only 25 cents a pop, even for hardcovers.  Just last week I found The Polar Express in hardcover!  When Chad and I were young we both liked the Franklin series (the cute little turtle) and The Berenstain Bears, so I was thrilled to find a bundle of 12 Franklin books and 15 BB books for $15 on Ebay last year.

Not all childrens' books were created equal, which is something I've learned quickly since we read a lot of them.  Even though Charlotte doesn't have much of an attention span yet for stories, we've read at least one book per night to her since her first night home from the hospital.  While she's free to pursue her own interests, reading is one that is a must.  Some books (which will remain nameless) are simply terrible.  Some are so bad we can't even get through them, and thankfully she's young enough that she doesn't notice or have any favorites that we hate but she insists on reading every night.  In the relatively short time we've been reading to her, we've definitely developed a list of favorites that we keep going back to:

1)  Olivia by Ian Falconer

All of the books in the Olivia series are wonderful (there are also many other Olivia titles based off of the Nickleodeon show by the same name.  These are cute, but the Falconer ones are by far the best).  Oliva is the perfect mix of girly and strong, silly and smart, and is one creative and imaginative little pig.  We have several Olivia books and never get tired of her!

2) All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon (illustrations by Marla Frazee)

This book is stunning.  The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the story is even more so.  It sends a subtle yet important message about how humans are an important yet small piece in this great wide world.

3)  Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond (illustrations by Diane deGroat)

Oh Charlie.  If you've ever read Ree Drummond's wildly popular blog The Pioneer Woman, then you know about Charlie.  He's a large and in charge Bassett Hound who prefers sleeping and snacking to pretty much everything else, despite his "job" on a working cattle ranch.  He's sweet, lazy, and completely lovable (reminds me of my old Henry), and our copy is even signed from when we got to meet Ree and her husband at at book signing earlier this year!  You can read about that here.  I was super excited to find out today that Charlie has a new book coming out on September 25th called Charlie and the Christmas Kitty, which I'm sure will end up on our bookshelf as soon as it's available.

4)  The Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis

Another book that features a Bassett Hound as part of its main cast of characters, Ladybug Girl is about a little girl named LuLu with a huge imagination.  She spends her time exploring the world around her and always has her faithful companion Bingo at her side.  This is the first book in a series of Ladybug Girl books, also by the same authors, and they're all equally good reads.


5)  Duck & Goose by Tad Hills

Also a series, Duck and Goose are two adorable little birds who learn to be friends and go on to have wonderful adventures together.  This series is probably the most age appropriate for Charlotte right now, since they're large board books with more emphasis on cute pictures than text.

6)  The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson (illustrations by Beth Krommes)

We just discovered this book last weekend when we were browsing around the bookstore.  It's very different from many of the books on this list in that it tells its story with detailed pictures and very few words.  There's something really peaceful and comforting about this book and it has become an almost nightly read.


7)  A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker (illustrations by Kady MacDonald Denton)

This book is the first in another series (I believe there are currently four) about a crotchety old bear who befriends a sweet little mouse, despite the rocky start to their friendship.  The stories are fun and the watercolor illustrations are even better.


8)  Curious George by H.A. Rey

No "favorite book" list could ever be complete without Curious George.  I absolutely loved these books as a kid, even earning myself the nickname "George" (that is still used today).  I used to memorize the words before I could read and could recite Curious George and the Pizza by heart.  Naturally, I had to have plenty of the Curious George collection for Charlotte.  These books never get old :)


9)  The Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle (illustrations by Jill McElmurry)

The Little Blue Truck is about a tenacious, talking, blue pickup truck who manages to overcome every obstacle in his way by sticking to doing what's right.  It doesn't hurt that he has a whole farm of animal friends on his side to help get where he needs to go.

10)  How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

There are quite a few books in this series (also by the same authors) and we like them all, but this is my favorite.  In each book, an array of large and lovable dinosaurs (who live with humans) are taught important lessons about how to (and not to) behave.  It sends a message without beating readers over the head with it or taking itself too seriously.

I could go on and add many more to this list, but I'll leave it at this tonight.  I'm sure in another year I'll have a whole new list!

Happy Reading.

~Stacy