Your favorite children's books

[*bejeweled*]

Hi there. What are some of your favorite children's books? I'm interested in buying culturally rich books for my dd (8 months) and don't know where to look.

Faith

[lunar forest]

My ds (nearly 2) loves to read and be read to! Almost every morning when he wakes he asks me for a book that he can read to me. It's so sweet! (This probably isn't what you're looking for, but....) I like to keep lots of little "baby proof" books around for him to read to himself.

We don't have a lot of books right now, so I am very interested to see what others have to say, but we do have a few which we love:

"The Real Mother Goose" (Or any version of nursery rhymes, will do.) Because little children find it hard to sit and listen to a long story, often these little rhymes are perfect. We'll sit and read a few and than he's done (and I'm not try to make him stay longer than he wants to.)

"Whinie the pooh" (classic, not disney!!!!) Also, lots of short (not nearly as short as TRMG, mind you,) stories. I like having books that have more than one story in them!

Any fairy tale book with lots of stories (preferable short) and beautiful pictures! Pictures are SO important!

"The Twelve Dancing Princesses" This is a book I had as a child. The pictures are unbelievable! This is a must have! The story is so sweet (not cheesy,) it has a bit of adventure, and lots of fantasy, and of course amazing pictures!

Those are all I can think of right now.....

[eilonwy]

There are two kinds of books for kids that age: books you read to them (paper pages) and books they "read" themselves (cardboard/plastic/wooden pages).

Many books are available in both formats, and Eli has quite a few of both.

Eli's favorite books

Fox in Socks -Dr. Seuss (a tounge twister book full of funny words)
Runaway Bunny -Margaret Somthing.. it's a classic!
Goodnight Moon -Same author
Snowy Day -Ezra Jack Keats (I think)
Bunny My Honey -Can't remember who wrote that either; I'll have to look it up!
Little House in the Big Woods -Laura Ingalls Wilder (we read a few pages before bedtime, and he recognizes & loves it in particular)
My First (Hanukkah, ABC, 123, etc) Board Book -These books have lots of fun illustrations; Sometimes I actually even read bits of them to him. :LOL They're published by DK, inc.
Baby Smiles -can't remember the author of this one, but it's a book of various babies in various emotional states.. Smiling, Crying, Sleeping, etc. The babies are all different ethinicities, so that's fun too.
Moo, Baa, La La La -Sondra Boynton. Rhymes are always fun

I could probably go on here.. I'm a total bibliophile! If you want more ideas, or books on specific subjects, ask the librarian in the children's dept. Eli chooses two library books a week from the baby section. This week, he liked "Garden Families", by Anne Geddis (pictures of babies in costumes. super cute!) and "The Very Quiet Cricket", by Eric Carle (I think he liked illustrations in that one, they're very interesting & non-traditional.)

There are loads of books I plan to introduce Eli to as he gets older; I actually have a journal that I use to list books I want to read, and I make a notation to remind me if I'd like Eli to read them when he's older. If you're not keen on waiting, you can always choose something for older kids and read it to the baby a few pages at a time (Little House in the Big Woods, Charlotte's Web). Eli enjoys this when it's naptime or bedtime, but when we're reading during the day, he and I both prefer picture books. Preferably sturdy board books so he can turn the pages himself without damaging them. (He's mostly past the eating them stage. )

You can also borrow recorded books from the library, if you're nervous about reading aloud or just feel like you don't have time. These have the added advantages of having built-in stopping points, an unfamiliar voice to listen to (sometimes gets the baby's attention better than your own), and you can use them in the car (my personal favorite!). You can also get other things done while your child is entertained and he's not in front of the tv.

Wow, this is a long answer! If you don't get enough other responses, or you're looking for something in particular, please feel free to pm me. I've got a huge booklist in my head and irl, and am becoming more familiar with baby books each day. Like I said, I'm a total bibliophile.

[lunar forest]

I find that the best books often come when least expected. I like to go to Boarders (or whatever your favorite bookstore is,) and just look around. They often have great deals on wonderful books!

[Ravin]

My all time favorite picture book is "Where the Wild Things Are"

My all time favorite read-aloud (not necessarily illustrated) book is The Hobbit.

[JulietsMama]

Touch and Feel board books are my babys fave...

She is 11 mos and still in the eating books stage. So I only give her board books - she is very mouth and hands on! She loves all the touch and feel books right now. She takes her little finger and goes right for the fuzzy/sticky/whatever part of the page. Its so cute. It gets her more interested in reading since shes not really much of a sit down girl. I love books and buying books for her but she really isnt into reading yet. I just bought "Love Song For a Baby" which is a beautifully illustrated poem.

[rda]

Oh, I have tons of favorites, but one that my older kids still quote from is "Silly Sally". I can't remember who wrote it, but it's got great rhymes and bright, goofy illustrations. An 8 month old would probably like the sound and the look of it. And it's not very long!

[Tanibani]

I found great titles (board books) at my local Barnes & Noble. Just right for starting to read-aloud at that age. My DH started reading Dr. Seuss' HOP ON POP and it was his first favorite book.

Another good resource is your local library. I regularly take out a pile every 3-4 weeks (return what we don't use). I see a greater variety of books there (books i haven't seen at the bookstore.)

[siddie]

I love this topic! I read to my ds when he was less than 6 mos old and he loves reading now. In his own words "reading stories is nice" We started with a lot of Dr. Seuss board books like The Foot Book, Go Dog Go - I got a boxed set at Costco. Go Dog go is super, it teaches colors, big, little, fast, slow, up, down, trees, so many fun things. Of course Goodnight Moon ( Margaret Wise Brown) and Mouse Cookie (Laura Numeroff) were big hits. At around age 2 Richard Scarry books became really big for him. He still loves the Scarry books at 3 and a half. Richard Scarry books are very old-fashioned and sweet. I love his European style of illustration and he really explains things well to kids. The Best Word Book Ever and What Do People Do All Day are great Scarry Books. No David by David Shannon always makes him laugh. ANd he often asks for I"ll Love You Forever. I go for classics, Caldecott winners and avoid the Clifford and Bob the Builder/character books if at all possible. Ross has a good selection of books at great prices. We joined the Children'sBook of the Month Club and he loves getting pachages. Harold and The Purple Crayon is another good one. Eric Carle The Very Hungy Caterpiller is good. Curious George stories by Margaret and H. A Rey are popular with him too. The Night BEfore Christmas and Corduroy's Christmas are wonderful Christmas books. Between ages 1 and 3 they really enjoy pop-up books and books where you can touch, feel, lift the flap and shake things. I tried The Giving Tree but he didn't really like it yet. Also tried Sandra Boynton but found them annoying (jmho) and not nearly as good as Seuss...

[Tanibani]

An incomplete list, hope it helps....

Newborn - 2 years old

Anything by Dr. Seuss
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Eric Carle
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?
Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathman
Time for Bed by Mem Fox
Trucks by Byron Barton
Any book by Byron Barton
Where the Wild Things Are
ChickaBoomBoom by John Archambault
Jamberry by Bruce Degan
Once Upon a Potty by Alona Frankel
I’m as Quick as a Cricket by Audry Wood

2 year old – 3 year old

Dandelion Seed
Hello Ocean by Munoz Ryan
If you give a Mouse a Cookie
McDuff Stories by Rosemary Wells
Tough Boris by Mem Fox

3 year old – 4 year old

Room on the Broom – Julia Donaldson
Meanwhile by Jules F
A bad case of Stripe by David Shannon
THe Rain came Down by David Shannon

[TEAK's Mom]

Dd is the original bibliophile! She has loved books since she could pick them up. She asks for her favorites by name now (she's 16.5 months). Some of these favorites are:

*Aurora: A Tale of the Northern Lights by Mindy Dwyer
*On the Day You Were Born by Debra Fraiser
*Sit, Truman by Dan Harper
*Go Dog, Go by P.D. Eastman
*If You Give a Moose a Muffin (& Mouse a Cookie) by Laura Joffe Numeroff
*Any of the Good Dog, Carl books by Alexandra Day
*Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman
*I Love You, Stinky Face (I forget the author)
*Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joose
*The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders by Jack Prelutsky
*The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munch

And, I have to add Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type, the best unionized farm animal book around.

There are more, but this list could be eternal.

edited to fix typos

[mamahammer]

I love...

The Rainbow Fish
Brown Bear, Brown Bear
Guess How Much I Love You
Love You Foerever
Dinosaur Stomp
How Does a Dinosaur Say Goodnight?
All of the Froggy books
What Mommy/Daddy Does Best
What Grandma/Grandpa Does Best

[*bejeweled*]

Thanks so much. I'm sooooo excited about getting these books!

[NiteNicole]

I love all of the Eric Carle books and started collecting them while I was in college.

I also love the Shel Silverstein books. The illustrations are simple but engaging. The ones with poetry are fun to recite and alternatly hilariously funny and very touching. The Giving Tree and The Missing Piece books are good as well. All of them are, actually. And Uncle Shel's ABZ Book for grownups is a good laugh.

Just got My Granny's Purse a few days ago - it has all kinds of neat things to pull out and touch and feel! It's soooo innovative, if not properly a book. It's KIND of a book - that counts, right?

We have read Fox in Socks and Chica Chica Boom Boom more times than I care to remember.

Maya Angelou has a GREAT book called Life Doesn't Frighten Me, illustrated by Jean-Michel Basquiat. It's a great message and the illustrations are wonderful.

My own personal favorites are things like The Lorax and The Star Belly-Sneetches.

[Tanibani]

Originally posted by NiteNicole
I love all of the Eric Carle books and started collecting them while I was in college.

Speaking of Eric Carle, he's coming to my local Barnes n Noble tonight for a book signing. We can bring 1 book from home (that's the limit and I guess he'll sign as much as you want to buy?) for him to sign. (note to self, bring camera )

Originally posted by NiteNicole
Maya Angelou has a GREAT book called Life Doesn't Frighten Me, illustrated by Jean-Michel Basquiat. It's a great message and the illustrations are wonderful.

I just saw a play of this book (The Reader's Theatre Project of Los Angeles - Books come to life with actors, dancers and musicians.) Absolutely wonderful. I forgot to borrow it from the library. I'll remember next time. Another one they performed was Meanwhile by Jules Fieffer. My 3.5-year-old wanted to hear it again and again (it's better for older kids.)

[elfmum]

Springtime in Noisy Village
The Color Kittens
Goodnight Moon
Go Dog Go
The Mitten

[Alstrameria]

Sophie loves anything by Margaret Wise Brown, and lately the Stella books by Marie-Louise Gay.

[NoHiddenFees]

We love almost anything by

John Burmingham (especially Mr. Gumpy's Outing, Mr. Gumpy's Motorcar, Hushabye).
Janet and Allen Ahlberg (esp. Each Peach Pear Plum, Peek-a-boo, Baby's Catalogue, Jolly Postman)
Martin Waddell (but for a little older baby)
Marie Hall Ets (esp. Play With Me)
Peter Spier (when baby is old enough to decipher detailed pictures)
Pat Hutchins (esp. Rosie's Walk, 10 Apples Sitting in a Tree)
Byron Barton (Trains, Trucks, Planes, etc.)
Beatrice Shenk de Regniers (esp. What Do You DO with a Shoe, So Many Cats, May I Bring a Friend?)
Lucy Micklethwait (a series of art appreciation books for kids)
Nancy Carlstrom (Jesse Bear series... she likes these much more than I do)

DD also loves alphabet books:
On Market Street (Lobel)
Anno's Alphabet (Mitsumasa Anno)
Dr. Seuss's ABC
First Steps (John Burmingham)
Animalia (Graeme Base)
City Alphabet (?)
Edward Lear Alphabet (illus by Rudinsky)

And poetry:
Walter de la Mare (Peacock Pie)
Shel Silverstein
Robert Lois Stevenson
A.A. Milne
Bats and Cats and Things With Wings (? -- bit fave)
Edward Lear


Some of the better resources I've found (I have a girl, as is reflected by this list):

The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

One of the package of books I give at baby showers.

Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14 by Erica Bauermeister & Holly Smith

This is a great source of multicultural tales as well.

Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Pre-School to High School (2nd Edition) by Judith Wynn Halsted

The last couple chapters talk about what kinds of books are appropriate at which age and are applicable to all children. There's also a great annotated book list.

Reading for the Love of It: Best Books for Young Readers by Michele Landsberg

An older book, but consistently has great recommendations. I've found some wonderful books through this.

Great Books for Girls: More Than 600 Books to Inspire Today's Girls and Tomorrow's Women by Kathleen Odean

Similar in theme to the Bauermeister book above and better organized. However, I found the recommendations to be a bit more ordinary.

I've gone totally nuts with the kid book thing. At 20 months, DD has far more books than I had by the time I graduated high school. Some I'm getting in anticipation of homeschooling, but that's a flimsy excuse. If anyone is interested, I can email lists of both what we have and what we're planning on getting. (Word files, but I have a mac and am virus free.) There might be some author ideas in there.

[rosebuds]

Many of my fav's have already been posted here but here are a few more not yet mentioned...

When Sophie Gets Angry...Really Really Angry by Molly Bang

Molly Bang has many other titles out that I have yet to read but I am anxious to get to the library to see them soon!)

Red Is Best by Kathy Stinson

Ribbon Rescue by Robert Muncsh

They may be a bit older for your dd but will be great within the next year or so.

[smittenmom]

Lots of my favorites are already mentioned here, too, but here are a couple more...

Any of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories (the original, not Disney versions)
I Love You the Purplest
Mommy's Best Kisses
The Next Place
and of course Pat the Bunny... it's a classic!