Friday, August 19, 2011

Our favorite children's books

As promised, here is a list of the children's books we really dig in our house. And I promise you, if the book is on the list then it is a book that I don't mind reading over and over again. Because really, this list is probably more of a list of books that don't drive me crazy. You might even see some of these books peeping out of the book sling in Conner and Nolan's room.

1. Peek a who. Peek a what, peek a who. I totally think of Jay Z's jigga what song when I read this book. And who doesn't want a book that flows like Jay Z? But really, this book is cute and when I read it to the twins I couldn't wait for the day that they could say aloud the animals hiding behind the pages. But the book fell apart (due to so many readings) before the kids were able to say the animals.
2. Goodnight Moon. A classic, and for good reason. And do I really need to justify a classic. I even bought this book in French hoping that the kids and I could begin to speak French. Problem is, I know what the words are supposed to mean in English, I just have no clue how to pronounce them.
3. We Planted a Tree. A great book for kids that love to hug trees and do other hippy-like things. And a sweet little ending to this book.
4. The Peace Book. This book was given to me by a great friend and another hippy mom. I'm so glad she gave it to the kids because it turned me on to the author Todd Parr who has a whole line of great children's books. But The Peace Book remains my favorite.
5. For Just One Day. What animal would you like to be for just one day? This books rhymes and is just the right length. I even like it despite that the kids call the man in a Speedo with big swim goggles on "Mommy".
6. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. The pigeon is always trying to do things that he is not supposed to, like eat a hot dog, stay up late, and drive a bus. And the pigeon has some great negotiating tactics such as, "My cousin Herb drives a bus almost every day. True story."
7. Someday. Chances are, if you are one of my friends and you give birth to a baby girl then you will receive this book from me as a gift. I love this book!!! But warning, I cry every time I read this book to Elizabeth. Eve.ry.time.
8. Big Red Barn. By the author of Goodnight Moon. I'm not too much into farm books but this one can keep me interested.
9. Everybody Bonjours. I'm trying my best to get the kids obsessed with Paris, so that they beg their dad to take them there. Score one for mom and family vacations in Paris! And this book seems to be fostering their obsession. They already talk about when they go to Paris they will eat petit fours, see the Eifel Tower, and paint. Love those little macarons.
10. I Love Trucks. If Conner had his choice, I would read this story 15 times a day. And I've had a hard time finding a book about trucks that simply doesn't just show pictures and names of every type of truck on this Earth. This book is a quick read, which makes it more bearable when I read it 15 times.
11. Honda and Fabian. Simple illustrations and a simple story. But something about this has me wanting to read it over and over again. But skip the sequel Fabian Escapes, nowhere near as good.
12. The Princess and the Pea. Again, a classic story but this one has beautiful illustrations to go with it. And your kid will learn how to say hello in a few different African languages from this version.
13. The Princess and the Dragon. Can you tell someone in our house loves Princesses? And I am not about to read another story about a Disney Princess so when I can find a princess book that Elizabeth loves, I will endorse it whole heartedly. This book opens your eyes to that sometimes a dragon can be a better princess than the princess herself.

So there you have it, the baker's dozen of our favorite children's books. Truthfully, this is very much an abbreviated list as there are so many more books that we love at this house. But I wanted to include books for both boys and girls, babies and toddlers, so that hopefully you readers out there can find a book to bring home yourself.

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