Okay Mama's, tell me you and your kids FAVORITE books! And your not-so-favorites!

[Momtotherue]

I love to read, and I want dd to love reading too. She's only 6 mo old, but I read to her as often as she'll tolerate it. I'm trying to put together a list of great books to stock our shelves with for now and for later. Please help me out by giving me a list of what you enjoyed and what your children have enjoyed.
I am amazed as I re-read some of the books I enjoyed as a child how unhappy I am with some of the content, such as characters getting away with lying and making others jealous and generally being mean. Can you also tell me some of the books you have decided NOT to share with your children, and why?

Thanks!

[Emma Bryan Fuller]

We love books too. it would be great to get a list for all ages. So many times my 9 yr old will start a book that just isn't good.

For a baby we loved. Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Eric Carle. Also, Polar Bear, Polar Bear.

When she is a little older .....We're going on a bear hunt,,Rosen Oxenbury.

These books are all classics, you will have no probs finding them.

[Jenni1894]

I love reading Green Eggs and Ham to my kids. 

Something about the rhythm of it.  

[samstress]

dd and i LOVE all things seuss and agree with jenni that it's the rhythm of them.  fox in socks is a fave and on current rotation is thidwick the big hearted moose and yertle the turtle.

we also love eric carle. 

i like it when... is a simple little book, but it brings tears to my eyes every time i read it.

mr. rabbit and the lovely present is another fave.

we also love this series of sing-along stories.

gosh, i could go on and on, but that's what comes to mind right now.

love you forever is a book that really creeps me out.  the mother seems more like a stalker than a loving mother.

Edited by samstress - 6/7/11 at 5:52pm

[AAK]

For the younger years (the ones with an * are great for toddlers):

*Brown bear, brown bear

Chicka Chicka boom boom

My crayons talk

Anything Seuss

We also LOVE Kevin Henkes -- esp Kitten's First full moon, Chrysanthamum, Lilly's purple plastic purse & Owen)

It looked like spilt milk

*Goodnight Moon

Red Is Best

*I went walking

Older kid picture books and early readers:

Falling for Rapunzel

Diary of a Worm

I spy fly guy

Dear Deer

Chapter books for early grades:

Down Girl and Sit (small series that we just found. . . absolutely hilarious stories from the pov of the dog--she thinks her name is down girl)

The Hundred Dresses

The Courage of Sara Noble

Lady Lollipop

Mouse named Mozart

My list for older chapter books is endless.  I may add to what everyone else puts down.

Oh, I also really like "Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild". . . but in it, the mom does get really upset and ends up yelling.  It ends well, and I find it enduring because I can relate (yelling is what I try so hard not to do).  So, it might not be for everyone.  But for us, it was a good choice especially around 3/4 yrs old.

Amy

[Jenni1894]

Oh and my 3 1/2 yo dd loves the Mercer meyer critter books.   He's cute!

[Love_My_Babies]

You should check out The Read Aloud Handbook or Honey for a Child's Heart.  They both have wonderful book suggestions based on age, interests, etc.  And, it isn't too early to take her to your library and let her pick out some board books on her own.  It is a fun discovery for her, and she will always pick out something you would never consider! 

[Momtotherue]

Originally Posted by samstress 

love you forever is a book that really creeps me out.  the mother seems more like a stalker than a loving mother.

I bought this book when I was pregnant because I'd heard SOOO much about it and it creeped me out too!! My husband read it and he was freaked out as well. I just don't understand why this book appeals to anybody. Sneaking into your adult son's home to cradle him in his sleep is indicative of some kind of instability IMO.

[AAK]

Originally Posted by Jenni1894 

Oh and my 3 1/2 yo dd loves the Mercer meyer critter books.   He's cute!

I forgot those--my youngest LOVES them, has since she was three.  We also like Fancy Nancy--I forgot to mention her earlier.

[SundayCrepes]

We probably have 400 books for our 5 and under kids. Most have been read over and over. Here are some of my most passionate thoughts.

The books I don't like tend to be well-loved "classics." I haven't figured out why people love these.

I hate The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. It's about a co-dependent tree that gives and gives and gives and a selfish kid that takes and takes and takes

Guess How Much I Love You is about an adult that has to compete with and outdo a child in how much they love each other. The adult always one-ups the child.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear is a nasty story about a narrator that manipulates the mouse into giving the narrator some of its strawberry.

Can't stand The Cat in the Hat. I don't want my kids letting anyone in when I'm not home (not that I leave them alone yet, but still...) I'm careful of all things Seuss as they were written for a different time. I edit "We play all day. We fight all night" to "We play all day. We play all night." Though the pictures aren't in synch with what I'm saying. Many Seuss books have stuff I consider "objectionable."

But there are so many wonderful books out there.

The Cat in the Hat Learning Library is wonderful. It is written in Seuss style about all kinds of educational topics. They are a definite favorite. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_31?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=cat+in+the+hat+learning+library&x=0&y=0&sprefix=cat+in+the+hat+learning+library

My kids love the Touch the Art series http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Appel/e/B001K8ZMRW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 Great paintings with a touch and feel component.

Also The Mini-Masters Series http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Merberg/e/B001JS9RAG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 Each book is a different great artist with really nice poetry/stories to go with it. I really like the Degas book. It's wonderful that at 2 and 4 my kids could recognize great works of art. "Hey, we have that bridge picture in one of our books."

Picture books made from the Laura Ingalls Wilder books are another favorite. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_31?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=cat+in+the+hat+learning+library&x=0&y=0&sprefix=cat+in+the+hat+learning+library#/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_26?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=my+first+little+house&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Amy+first+little+house

The Seven Silly Eaters is brilliantly written and illustrated http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Silly-Eaters-Mary-Hoberman/dp/0152024409/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307513139&sr=1-1

Counting Colors http://www.amazon.com/Counting-Colors-Roger-Priddy/dp/0312492588/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307513177&sr=1-10 I am using it to teach my little one colors. My 5 year old likes to find all the objects. Each page spread is in a color. When you turn to the red page, you see RED. And you have to fine a red rose, firetrucks, a red bird, etc. I don't have the book in front of me, but there are ten different objects in each spread. The first object has one of them. The second object has two of them. Etc.

Splitting the Herd http://www.amazon.com/Splitting-Herd-Corral-Odds-Evens/dp/0822574667/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307513338&sr=1-1 is meant to teach school age kids about odd and even numbers. The rhyming is so fun that my two year old loves it. "Miss Emma had a problem with her cattle on the range. They were restless, roving critters always looking for a change. They didn't care for fences and a barn was of no use. Those stubborn, ornery animals were always getting loose." I could continue from memory we've read it so many times.

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb http://www.amazon.com/Fingers-Thumb-Bright-Early-Books/dp/0394810767/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307513525&sr=1-1 This is the book that opened the world of books to my son. You have to read it with rhythm, though. I've been reading it for years and I still have fun with it.

All things Sandra Boynton is good starting when they are littler. http://www.amazon.com/Sandra-Boynton/e/B000AP9SWQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 Barnyard Dance is my personal favorite. In Doggies, you do all kind of dog noises. When my daughter was one year old, she would read this book to herself by woofing on each page. Way cute.

Mama Mama http://www.amazon.com/Mama-Jean-Marzollo/dp/0439314100/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307513768&sr=1-1 and Papa Papa are good for little ones 

The Berenstain Bears books have great potential, but Papa often is treated as a buffoon and it's not pleasant. Inside, Outside, Upside Down does not have that problem and is a fun read. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394811429

Two books for teaching about mixing colors are: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1856979539  and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152560254

To teach about 9-1-1 we got this book with push buttons and sirens. (It is the only noisy book that we have.) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591252741

To teach sign language we got some of the Beginning Sign Language Series books. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_30?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=beginning+sign+language+series&x=0&y=0&sprefix=beginning+sign+language+series

Though we carried Teach your tot to sign in the diaper bag.  http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Tot-Sign-American/dp/1563683113/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307514982&sr=1-1

Touch and feel books are always a hit with the little ones. This is a really nice one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581178514

Bippity Bop Barbershop was great for introducing the idea of haircuts http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316522848

The books about Dog are really nice. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=Emma%20Dodd

Wake up Dad http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0750008814 is cute

Hush Little Baby http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811822907 is a take off of the mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird song. But these lyrics are wonderful. "...Mama's gonna show you a hummingbird. If that hummingbird should fly, Mama's gonna show you the evening sky..." This was my son's favorite song from when he was in utero. I was so tickled the first time he sang along with me.

Only the Cat Saw http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802774881

We have tons more, but these are some that stand out right now.

Edited by SundayCrepes - 6/8/11 at 12:24am

[AAK]

I second the rec. for "Barnyard Dance"  You can get it as a board book and you practically dance while reading the book.  We all have it memorized. 

Also, forgot to add  (most of these are great to introduce to toddlers)

"Freight Train" by Donald Crews.  We have it as a board book.  It is my go to color teaching book.  But, I like the simpleness of the book too.  

A Teeny Tiny Baby.

In the Tall, Tall, Grass (and others) by Denise Fleming

Rosies Walk & Good Night Owl (Hutchins)

Planting a Rainbow (Ehlert)

Blueberries for Sal  (this is a bit longer-- preschool age instead of toddler)

Kiss Good Night (Hess)

The Napping House (Audrey Wood) -- cool because of the way the illustrations brighten a bit more on each page.  Kids loved the repeated parts and the funny pictures when they wake up.

Knuffle Bunny (Willems) my kids love this book (I like it, but can't explain their love for it)

For not liking books:

I don't like much of Beatrix Potter.  

I don't like "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly"--the song or the books that come from it.

And lots of people just LOVE Eric Carle, but I don't.  I don't have a problem with him, but most of his books just don't do it for me.  I like his artwork though--you see it in Brown Bear, Brown Bear. 

[LaBruja]

The Alfie and Annie Rose books by Shirley Hughes are wonderful...really beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and storylines that include lots of everyday innocent kid stuff...pretend games, playing outdoors, etc. Alfie is Annie Rose's big brother, and some of the books are great for helping little ones understand and be excited about becoming an older sibling, as they feature Alfie (written from his point of view) playing with his little sister and teaching/helping her (I'll be reading them to my DSS a lot when the new baby arrives). They can be hard to find in the U.S. as the author is British, but I think you can usually find them on Amazon.

The Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans are really fun...bright colors and fun rhymes and illustrations.

The "That's Not My..." books by Usborne Touchy Feely are awesome for toddlers...they are board books and each page features a different texture that is really fun for tiny fingers to explore ("That's Not My Kitten" is DSS's absolute favorite book).

For older children the Magic School Bus series presents science information in a fun format, although sometimes the interactions between the schoolkids can be a wee bit snotty (can be used as a teaching opportunity though). 

I second a PP's idea of taking your child to the library and letting him or her pick out books...you can sometimes stumble across some real gems that way! (And some horrible ones...I did that with my niece, and one of the books ended up being about a battle between different species of birds and EVERYONE died in the end. In a toddler's book. WTF?)

[thegoodearth]

We love Lucy Cousins! Especially Hooray for Fish!. My little guy really likes Cache of Jewels right now. THe little Engine that Could is a good one too.

I personally hate The Giving Tree - like a pp said I think the message is horrible and teaches one person to give and the other person to take all. I would be disappointed/upset if my child behaved like that little boy (or the tree) in the book.

[samstress]

Originally Posted by LaBruja 

The "That's Not My..." books by Usborne Touchy Feely are awesome for toddlers...they are board books and each page features a different texture that is really fun for tiny fingers to explore ("That's Not My Kitten" is DSS's absolute favorite book).

oh, yes, forgot about these.  dd loved them when she was younger
 

also love the if you give a mouse a cookie books and dogs don't wear sneakers and chimps don't wear glasses.  dd loves to make up our own silly sentences about other things that animals don't do.

i second (or third) the idea of going to the library.  we go at least once a week and it's definitely one of dd's favorite places to go.  she has found some real gems just browsing through the shelves. 

[hildare]

... i hate eric carle... they're fine books, i just don't like the repetetion and the art just doesn't do it for me.

we love books by Steve Jenkens.  Actual Size and Prehistoric Actual Size and everything else.  He is just plain awesome.

The David Weisner books without words are really nice for kids that are older than mine.  And Jerry Pinkney did this year's (last year's?) Caldecott The Lion and the Mouse, also without words. 

we love click, clack, moo.

Lois Ehlert is another great illustrator/author for very young ones..

Crew's books are nice, someone mentioned the freight train book.. we love that one too.

the Judy Barrett books.. someone mentioned the animals should not wear clothing ones.. great!

the library is your best bet, though.. and the children's librarian should have lists of wonderful things you'll like.  some public libraries have a database called NoveList, which is really neat.

we also surf the major cities' public library kids sites to see their booklists, (like the SFPL, the King County Libraries, etc.) and and read the Caldecotts and the other award winners... for a few ideas.. 

[SundayCrepes]

We started attending babytime at the library when my son was 4 months old. When he was a toddler, I checked out one of Emma Dodd's Dog books. I learned then that checking out library books did not work in our family as my son just couldn't understand why his favorite book had to go away. So, we often ended up buying used copies of books he liked from the library. In time our personal library got so big that it became a hassle to keep library books separate.

Now we are buying the secular books from www.sonlight.com. If I can't tell by the reviews at amazon if we want to get a certain book or not I do check it out from the library.

This was just our  personal story. Not trying to dissuade library use, just telling our pitfalls.

At this point we get a lot of kids' documentaries from the library.

[Daffodil]

If you're stocking your shelves, you'll want to concentrate on either books that are hard to find at the library or books your family is going to want to read over and over.  Here are some I'd recommend:

for babies and toddlers:

Goodnight Moon

More More More Said the Baby

Big Red Barn

Jamberry

Sandra Boynton books

Some Babies by Amy Schwartz

(I'd skip Eric Carle - his books are boring and repetitive.)

for preschoolers and up:

anything you can find by Russell Hoban  (Some of the good ones are out of print, but it's worth keeping an eye out for them at used book stores, book sales, etc.  Or just shop for them online.)

the entire Beatrix Potter collection

everything by Dr. Seuss

Margaret Wise Brown's Wonderful Story Book (out of print, but available online - or you could get lucky at a book sale like we did.)

the A.A. Milne collection with the 2 Pooh books (Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner) and the 2 poetry books (When We Were Very Young and Now We are Six)

Richard Scarry books

for kids 4-5 and up:

Tove Jansson's Moomin books

Ronia the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren

Where the Sidewalk Ends and/or A Light in the Attic (poetry by Shel Silverstein)

at least one children's poetry collection

[dbsam]

A suggestion for when your daughter begins reading...

I loved the Frog and Toad books when I was young and have enjoyed hearing my children read them.  My children also love reading them.  The stories are sweet, some are funny and the characters have a wonderful friendship.  My son likes that fact that the books were written and illustrated by a man (He always reads the author and the illustrator.  So many of the books are written by women and he notices when the author/illustrator is a man.)  The light humor (like looking for spring around the corner - literally around the corner) makes them laugh out loud.

edited to correct grammar/spelling

[Stephenie]

We love:

I Love You Through and Through http://www.amazon.com/I-Love-You-Through/dp/0439673631 , a very sweet story and both my kids have fun reading it.

Harry Hungry http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152062572/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img a silly little book about a hungry baby

We have a Baby http://www.amazon.com/We-Have-Baby-Cathryn-Falwell/dp/0395739705/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307598211&sr=1-1 a cute story that's great for when a new sibling comes along, AP friendly, shows nursing etc. Now it's my youngest's favorite even though she has no baby of her own :)

My kids love all Eric Carle books and Sandra Boynton 

Oh and anything Richard Scarry 

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head that we really don't like is a Golden Book collection of nursery rhymes we found at the thrift shop. I remembered owning the same book as a kid and thought it would be fun to read to the kids. Well it's full of spanking and even talked about a child getting "beat." We'll be donating that one back to the store. There is an illustration of the old woman who lived in the shoe spanking one child with a long line of crying kids waiting for their spankings. 

[Lisa1970]

We have I Love You Through and Through! That is such a sweet book. I also like this one called, Bedtime for Mommy I think.