Summer Interlude: Books for the Very Young
I mostly write here about the books that I teach in my classes, but I am also a mother of three young children. So I have more to offer in the way of book recommendations.
I’ve gone through our shelves at home and pulled out some of my kids’ favorite books to share with you. I’ve skipped most of the obvious ones like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (you’ll still see some of those well-known works here), and focused more on little gems I’ve found over the past six years of being a mom.
Board Books
These ones are just a small selection from our large assortment of board books, but we have had almost all of them since our six year old was a baby. They have been loved by all three of our kids.
Jamberry by Bruce Degen - A little zany, but very wholesome and fun. Encourages adventure in search of berries!
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton - This one is a bit long for a board book, but worth the time. It’s about perseverance and preservation.
Cat’s First Baby by Natalie Nelson - Hilarious, cute, and sweet as can be.
Thanks a Lot by Raffi - The lyrics to Raffi’s “Thanks A Lot” song, but with lovely pictures for each line. I love singing it to my kids.
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw - So hilarious and fun!
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss - Perseverance again!
Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig - The first time I read this one, I cried. It is so wholesome, and depicts an aspect of parenthood I adore. It is also very funny.
Picture Books
I was going to break this category down into smaller categories, but it couldn’t be done. They’re all just… great picture books.
The Lord of the Rushie River by Cicely Mary Barker - This one is much longer than the rest and even has chapters. But the pictures are stunningly gorgeous and the story is sweet.
Thanksgiving in the Woods by Phyllis Alsdurf - A lovely celebration of traditional Thanksgiving, but with a unique twist!
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes - Chrysanthemum is perfect, no matter what anybody says!
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen - The coziest, friendliest lion. And Mr. McBee, who you must read while picturing the dean from the show Community.
Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora - The value of books and kindness in the life of a child
Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park - Cooking with mom, with a fun, Korean twist
A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin - This is a cute and relatable modern folktale about the phases of the moon, represented as a cake!
The Tale of the Tiger Slippers by Jan Brett - This is by far my favorite Jan Brett story. Gorgeously illustrated, as usual, but also sentimental and lovely in its story.
It Could Always be Worse by Margot Zemach - The famous Yiddish folktale, expertly rendered for children! I talk about this one with my kids and students all the time.
The Brave Cowboy by Joan Walsh Anglund - My oldest is an imaginative boy, and so is this brave cowboy. They would be friends.
Amos and Boris by William Steig - Friendship transcends appearance and can help you accomplish beautiful things.
Charlie Needs a Cloak by Tomie de Paola - The first of many Tomie dePaola books on this list. This one is funny, informative, and entertaining. Always new little details to notice!
Six-Dinner Sid by Inga Moore - Funny, sweet, and contains a tiny, not overbearing message about the beauty of community
Raven by George McDermott - This one is based on the mythology of Indigenous cultures in the Pacific Northwest, and it is so fun to read. It feels magical and mysterious, but also reverent and sweet. The style of art is also very compelling.
The Empty Pot by Demi - Honesty is best when it is most difficult.
Sharing the Bread by Pat Zietlow Miller & Jill McElmurry - Each family member’s role in getting together a traditional Thanksgiving feast! Fun & beautiful.
The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason - When I started reading this one I thought it was going to be stupid. I loved being wrong. It is so completely cozy and sweet.
Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall - Gorgeous art for children. There should be more books like this in the world.
Thundercake by Patricia Polacco - A grandmother expects her granddaughter to do things she is afraid of, and they get to eat a yummy cake as a result. That sounds silly, but I assure you the book is not silly. It is beautiful.
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco - This book played no small part in my desire to become a teacher when I was little. I still remember the school librarian reading it to us when I was in elementary school. I cry every time I read it. I don’t want to say anything to spoil the story!
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran - A beautiful love letter to imagination and the freedom of childhood—enjoyable for adults and kids, but for different reasons.
Ode to a Bad Day by Chelsea Lin Wallace - Completely hilarious and so fun to read dramatically!
Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats - Perfect if your kid is expecting a sibling! Such a sweet and honest reflection of jealousy, and how it shrinks in the face of love.
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant - Cynthia Rylant is not afraid of writing from her heart, which means that her stories are heartfelt, realistic, simple, and beautiful.
The Raft by Jim LaMarche (not pictured) - Completely magical, unique, adventurous, and beautiful. I don’t even want to say anything else about it. You have to read it with a child and watch their reactions as you discover the beauty of the raft.
The Natural World
A mere fraction of the books we own which describe the way nature works. There seem to be bazillions of books out there that convey the surprising joy of the natural world to young children, all adorned with gorgeous illustrations. What better way to encourage curiosity about this great, wide, wonderful place?
A Shell is Cozy & A Beetle is Shy by Dianna Hutts Aston & Sylvia Long - These are two books from a series of many books. The pictures are gorgeous beyond belief, and the information about the topic is very well pitched to children of varying ages. One day, we will own the whole series.
A Ladybug’s Life by John Himmelman - This one is also just one of a series. Himmelman details the whole life cycle of an insect and makes his own stunning illustrations for each page. (See example below.)
Are You a Ladybug? by Judy Allen & Tudor Humphries - Informative and FUNNY! The whole book is giving instructions to the child on how to survive if they are, in fact, a ladybug.
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons - Gail Gibbons has to be one of my favorite authors in this category. We also adore her Spiders book, but basically anything she has written gets my seal of approval.
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert - A child and his mother plant a garden every year so they can fill their home with a rainbow of color!
How to Hide a Butterfly & Other Insects by Ruth Hellers - Fun!! This series of books gives examples of different animals that use camouflage in various environments. “How to Hide an Octopus” is about sea animals, “How to Hide a Crocodile” is about different reptiles, etc… It shows you the animal on one page, and then on the next page, you see it camouflaged with its surroundings. Some of them are very hard to find, even for me! (See example below)
A Tree is Nice by Janice May Udry - Easily my favorite book in this category. Beautiful in its simplicity, A Tree is Nice encourages children to notice how each tree is unique, useful, fun, and nice.
From How to Hide a Butterfly… Can you see the cricket?
From A Ladybug’s Life. Look at that detail!
From A Tree is Nice. Books that celebrate the niceness of trees are also nice.
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons. I love the detailed illustrations!
Poetry
The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, selected by Jack Prelutsky - This is a treasure trove. I’ve mined it for good ones to share with my classes, and I also read it with my kids constantly. There are FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY-TWO poems in here, and we enjoy many of them.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost (illustrated by Susan Jeffers) - My oldest loves this one. It’s only the famous Frost poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” except each page has just a line or two, and each line is illustrated lovingly.
In Praise of Mystery by Ada Limón - The poem “In Praise of Mystery” is printed on the side of the Europa Clipper spacecraft’s vault plate. And, it is in this book, with each line illustrated.
A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children, selected by Caroline Kennedy - a delightful collection of poems, some famous and some not famous. Beautiful illustrations adorn each page.
Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies (not pictured) - This is my favorite book in this category, and I think every family should have a copy. I just couldn’t find it for the picture! Julie Andrews and her daughter chose a truly marvelous selection of verses to share with children.
Hilarious
The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors by Drew Daywalt - A playful origin story of the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. It is SO funny and totally weird.
The Cat on the Dovrefell by Tomie dePaola - Trolls don’t know what cats are, and there lies the key to the whole silly plot.
Still Stuck by Shinsuke Yoshitake - Have you ever had a moment of panic while trying to take off a clothing garment that was too small? This story is for you.
Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie dePaola - We love this one, especially around St. Patrick’s Day. And, we miiiiight don a bit of an Irish accent while we read it.
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (accidentally misplaced in this category—see below)
Books Without Words
Books without words have become such a beautiful bonding experience for us with our kids, and eventually, between our children. Even though my middle child can’t read yet, she will “read” the stories to her baby brother.
Journey by Aaron Becker - A lonely girl finds an exciting adventure in a magical land
Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola - How far will you go for pancakes? Not as far as the character in this book. I guarantee it.
One Frog Too Many by Mercer and Marianna Meyer - What happens when little boy gets cute, tiny frog as a gift? What will his friend, big frog, think? I love how much story and personality is communicated with no words.
The Knight and the Dragon by Tomie dePaola - The traditional knight vs. dragon conflict gets a makeover with hilarious results.
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (accidentally pictured above) - This is the famous fable of Aesop’s! There are just no words. Instead, stunning illustrations tell the story, leaving parent readers the joyful challenge of narrating the beloved story.
Longer Stories & Chapter Books
Ninjas and Samurai (Magic Treehouse “Fact Tracker”) by Mary Pope Osborne - We love Magic Treehouse, but even more than that, we love the Fact Tracker books! These are the non-fiction companions to the adventurous chapter books. There are a bunch more.
One of the questions I am asked most often is, “How can I encourage my kid to like reading?” And, I often respond with the suggestion to try out non-fiction. The Fact Tracker books are perfect for this experiment.
Esio Trot by Roald Dahl - This one is massively famous, but we couldn’t not mention it. Roald Dahl is os ynnuf.
Summer of the Sea Serpents by Mary Pope Osborne - This and Hurry Up, Houdini! are our favorite books in the Magic Treehouse series, and they are both from the Merlin Missions books.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School & Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger by Louis Sachar - These were especially fun to share with my middle (3 years old) and eldest (6 years old) children. I read them when I was a kid and thought they were quite funny. Now my kids love them, too! There are four books in the series, but I have listed my two favorites, which are the first and third books. (If you know what a “goozack” is, please remember to close it.)
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White - This is the only book by E.B. White I like. (No, not even that one.) And it is great. A mute trumpeter swan gets a real TRUMPET in order to woo his sweetheart? And it’s told completely in earnest? Brilliant.
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett - Funny, sweet, and a little zany. My oldest LOVES it. There are two more books in the series, which are cute, but not nearly as good.
Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package by Kate DiCamillo - This is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Period. And it’s for kids. And I’m an adult. I don’t care. I’m not even embarrassed. It’s that funny. The thing that is inside the package is the most impossibly perfect thing that could ever arrive for someone like Eugenia Lincoln. Kate DiCamillo is a genius. (I will say that reading the Mercy Watson books first might help you and your kids understand Eugenia Lincoln better, which will help with the comedic payoff.)
Treasury for Children by James Herriot - James Herriot stories make me cry just because they are completely and utterly beautiful (and sometimes because they’re sad). I stumbled upon this collection of stories for children a few years ago, not having any idea who James Herriot was. Now, I own all his books and count myself as a huge fan. I wrote a full review of this children’s collection here, but for our purposes here I will just say that I can’t think of another young children’s book that conveys reverence for life as beautifully as this one.
Rotten Island by William Steig - This one is really funny, but also has a sweet message in the end about what what must happen to ugly, evil things.
The Complete Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem - This book has lovely, simple little tales, but to be honest, you go to Brambly Hedge in order to stare at some of the most intricate detail you’ve ever seen. The illustrations are stunning. My kids enjoy the stories a lot, but mostly they just want to stare at the pictures, ask questions about them, and imagine what they would do in those places. It’s so fun.
The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George (not pictured) - We are obsessed with these non-fiction short stories about the author’s family owning exotic animals. They are funny, but they are also extremely sweet. I’ve found that they have encouraged a lot of curiosity about animals in my kids, and have even made them more gentle with our pets.
This is one of the incredible illustrations from Brambly Hedge.
Do you have any recommendations for us? Leave them in the comments!