Although as a writer of young adult fiction and one who has dabbled in children's books, I know from experience that it's a lot trickier than it looks...yes, some of board books are totally inane but there are absolute gems that I actually scramble to find before my daughter reaches for "Elmo Can Use the Potty" or the "Search and Find: Strawberry Shortcake (no, I don't care where Plum Pudding hid her picnic basket)."
Anyway, here are ten of my favorite children's books (in no particular order) that I don't always mind reading over and over (I could do a whole other list for young adults...perhaps another time):
P.S. Although I do love "Where the Wild Things Are," and "The Hungry Caterpillar," I tried to go with a few less obvious ones.
1. "Annie and the Wild Animals" by Jan Brett
Many of Brett's books are good. They're all beautifully illustrated but what I like about this one in particular is that each page is lined with panelled illustrations that foreshadow the action in the text (it took me a few reads to realize this). The story is of a little girl whose best friend, her cat Taffy, disappears in the middle of winter and in order to find a new friend, Annie sets out corn cakes every day to attract other animals. None of them are quite right but maybe Taffy will return with a few surprises in tow.
2. "All the Places to Love" by Patricia MacLachlan, Illustrated by Mike Wimmer
From the beloved writer of the "Sarah, Plain and Tall," this is a feast for the eyes and heart...cheesy, yes, but I cry every time I read it. And I'm not a crier when it comes to books. The writing is so softly poignant, a boy's retelling of the beautiful places he loves on the farm where he grows up. The last page (the front cover of the book) has the boy dreaming of the day when he'll tell his new little sister about the places to love on the land where they'll grow up...tearing up just thinking about it.
3. "Babushka's Doll" by Patricia Polacco
I may well put another of Polacco's books on this list because hers are some of my favorites that I read to Dandelion. And thankfully, Dandelion loves them too, especially this one. I love the Russian influence of her stories and illustrations (she is a child of immigrants). Natasha is a slightly naughty and demanding granddaughter and when her Babushka (grandmother) leaves her alone with her old doll, it comes to life and teaches her about how demanding a little person can be. A perfectly delightful lesson.
4. "Toot and Puddle: You are my sunshine" by Holly Hobbie
I find it difficult to pick a favorite Toot and Puddle book because they are all adorable, but this one is especially sweet as one of the main characters, Toot, who is generally very adventurous and spontaneous, mopes for days and days. His friends try everything to get him back to the old Toot but only a good thunderstorm can change things. As Puddle says, "Everybody mopes." Enough said.
5. "Max Cleans Up" by Rosemary Wells
The Max and Ruby books are clever in a very simple way (at least, I think they are. Or have I been in the company munchkins for too long?). Max is the little brother who gets into mischief and Ruby is the incredibly bossy older sister who acts like his mother. I have a feeling we might have a Max and Ruby in our house...anyway...In this particular story, Ruby forces Max to clean his room but Max has his own "cleaning" style. Hilarity ensues...
6. "My Very First Mother Goose" by Rosemary Wells and Iona Opie
There are a lot of Mother Goose books out there. Believe me, I think I own five of them. The Texas version I found is pretty clever and the original is a good classic. I like that I own a copy of it (Dandelion likes it too) but let's face it, some nursery rhymes are weird, old-fashioned or just plain misogynistic/racist/something bigoted but I can't figure it out because of the funny language.
Of course, many of them are wonderful and fortunately, Opie has edited them down to the not-so-strange rhymes (although plenty are odd) and Wells has illustrated them with the same whimsical style she uses for her Max and Ruby books. Dandelion can look at a picture in this book and remember the rhyme on many pages.
7. "Babushka Baba Yaga" by Patricia Polacco
Another Polacco book about a Russian grandmother, but this one is a fierce fairy creature who is reviled in the village stories but really just longs to have a grandson of her own to take care of. This is a lovely story that touches on themes of a desire to belong and reserving judgement of others.
8. "Thunder Cake" by Patricia Polacco
I couldn't resist one more Polacco. This one is so good that Dandelion and I actually made Thunder Cake from the recipe in the back of the book. This is about another Babushka who is trying to teach her granddaughter not to be afraid of thunder. Her solution? Make thunder cake...after all, without the thunder, it wouldn't be so special.
9. "Hop on Pop" by Dr Seuss
10. Sandra Boynton...any book, especially such classics as "Barnyard Dance," Belly Button Book," "But not the Hippopotamus," and "The Going to Bed Book."
Always zany, clever and cute. Memorable and simple words with offbeat concepts.
One more for good measure: "20th Century Children's Book Treasury"
This is kind of a cheat because it has so many of the classics in it: Madeleine, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, The Snowy Day, Where the Wild Things Are, Goodnight Moon...But it is a really good way to read a bunch of well-written kids books while allowing you to be very lazy and not get up to get another book. Also, you can flip past the ones you hate without kiddo realizing it and there are plenty to love. Spooky Old Tree by the Berenstein Bears is a favorite of both Dandelion's and mine.
Okay...done...although I'll probably think of more as soon as I post this.
If you've managed to stick with me through the whole list, I thank you.
And if you have your own favorites, I'd welcome new reads too.
2 comments:
I realize I'm five or six weeks late on this one, but when I was teaching preschool we loved On The Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier.
Thanks Matt, I'll have to check that one out. I've never heard of it.
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