My All Time Favorite Picture Books (1-25)

'Tis the season for gift-giving and what better gift than a book.  To help you find the perfect book for any child on your list I am sharing with you my 50 favorite picture books for reading aloud (they are good for reading quietly too!)  I will share the 1-25 today and 26-50 on December 15.

1) Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
The classic story of a boy who receives the first gift of Christmas.  A must read for all who truly believe.

2) Time for Bed by Mem Fox

Time For Bed

A sweet rhyming bedtime story that puts all the baby animals gently to sleep.

3) There is a Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
In this silly story Grover does not want you to get to the monster at the end of the book and tries everything to stop you.  You will never guess who the monster at the end of the book is!

Where's Spot?

4) Where's Spot? by Eric Hill
Spot is hiding from his mom and she looks all of the house trying to find him so he can eat his dinner.  A great lift-the-flap board book for babies.

5) Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
This is also a great lift-the-flap book for babies.  A child wants the zoo to send them a pet.  The zoo sends lions, giraffes, snakes and much more.  Each animal is not right for different reasons, until they send a puppy.

6) Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
The day is over and it is time for all of the construction trucks to go to bed.  This sweet rhyming story is perfect for any child who loves trucks!

7) The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown
Have you ever wondered what is important about a spoon or the wind.  This charming book uses repetition and a circular text to tell us what is important about several everyday items.

8) Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Where the Sidewalk Ends

A perfect poem collection.  This book includes poems about EVERYTHING. Silverstein has a great way of writing silly poems to make you laugh.

9) The Pigeon Books (all of them!) by Mo Willems
I couldn't pick just one pigeon book because they are all so good.  The pigeon is a character with attitude and charm that you just have to meet for yourself!

10) The Elephant and Piggie Books (all of them!) by Mo Willems
If you like the pigeon you will love Piggie and Gerald.  These two best friends have so many adventures.  Piggie and Gerald are sure to make you and your child chuckle!

Fireflies

11) Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe
If you remember summer nights chasing fireflies and capturing them in jars with your friends, you will love the nostalgic feel this book creates.  Brinkloe uses descriptive language to really paint a picture of the perfect summer night.

12) Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Chrysanthemum

It is easy to relate to and fall in love with Chrysanthemum the mouse.  She is carefree and loves her name until she starts school.  There she realizes that sometimes people are not always nice.  Chrysanthemum as to learn how to deal with bullies and love herself no matter what.

13) Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr.

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?

Every child loves the repeated pattern in Bill Martin Jr. uses in this book.  Not to mention a book about animals AND colors should be in everyone's library!

14) Mr. Brown Can Moo by Dr. Seuss
It is hard to pick just one Dr. Seuss book but my son wanted this one read over and over again.  Mr. Brown makes all the silliest noises, even the sound of a hippopotamus chewing gum.

No David

15) Freight Train by Donald Crews
A simple book that uses the different train cars to teach colors.  Young children will like the simplicity of the text.

16) No David by David Shannon
Every parent and child can relate to David.  He is always causing trouble and constantly hearing his mother say, "NO DAVID!"  In the end, no matter how many times he messed up his mother reminds him that she still loves him.

17) Peek-a-Who? by Nina Laden
A small board book that plays on the favorite rhyme of every child, peek-a-boo.  The pages are cut out so you can see a peek of what will be next.

Peek-a-Who?

18) Llama, Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney

Llama Llama Misses Mama

Any book that can teach a lesson to a child is a plus for me.  In this book Llama Llama has his first day of school and really misses his mom.  He learns through the rhyming text that he can have fun at school and at home!

19) The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
This interactive book will have children saying the lines with you as well as clapping, stomping, shaking a wiggling.  A little old lady, who has no fears, goes out for a walk in the woods.  She encounters many strange objects but is determined to not be afraid... until something yells BOO!

20) We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
A fun book about a family going on a bear hunt and the obstacles they face.  They come to a dark cave and tiptoe in only to find a... BEAR!

21) Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
This book with few words is a perfect bedtime book for babies.  The zoo keeper is putting each animal to sleep, but the gorilla is letting them out.  All the animals end up sleeping with the zoo keeper, until his wife wakes up!

Actual Size

22) Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
In this informational book you get to see just how big a shark's tooth is and a gorillas hand or what it is like to look into a giant squid's eye.

23) Reading Makes Me Feel Good  by Todd Parr
This book uses simple phrases and fun pictures to describe the joys of reading.  A must have for any book lover!

24) Enemy Pie by Eric Munson
If you need to learn how to deal with your enemies this book is for you.  Luckily for this little boy his dad knows a thing or two about dealing with enemies and it all has to do with pie, and spending a little bit of time with your enemy while it cooks.

25) Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
Every child's emotions are all over the place.  This boy uses animals to describe how he is feeling.  The illustrations make the book even more memorable.


So what do you think?  Did I miss any?  What are your all time favorite books to read aloud?  Maybe they will show up on the second part of my list.

Happy Reading!
Laura

I Wish You More

Every once in a while you come across a book that is just the right amount of sappy that you must have it for your child's bookshelf, I Wish You More  by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is one of those books.  Rosenthal is known for her books that tell so much about life, in such a simple way.  Just a few weeks ago I wrote about her book This Plus That and how she explained some of the best parts about life in such simple terms.  She does it again in I Wish You More. 

In I Wish You More Rosenthal is able to show how much someone can be loved by using things that happen to kids everyday.  You know you are loved if someone wishes you more hugs than ughs or more snowflakes than tongue.  Each of her examples don't just show kids how much they are loved, but also how to live a good life.  I wish you more pause than fast-forward and more will than hill.  Once again Rosenthal figures out how to speak to kids about life.  

What makes this an even more perfect book is the pictures by Tom Lichtenheld.  Even if a child might now understand what "I wish you more will than hill" means, when they look at the illustration and see a child pulling a heavy wagon up a hill, they will understand.  Each picture perfectly illustrates the meaning behind the short phrase.

I can't help but think of the song "I Wish You Love" originally recorded by Keely Smith but also sang by people as famous as Dean Martin, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. Here is Michael Buble singing it.

I wish you more books than room on the shelf!

Happy Reading!

Laura

My First Day

Steve Jenkins and Robin Page have combined to write and illustrate over 15 books, all of them informational.  Sometimes good informational books for reading aloud are hard to find but not when it comes to this amazing duo.  Jenkins is definitely one of my favorite informational authors.

One of his newer books, published in 2013, is called My First Day. In this book Jenkins tells the story of the first day for over 20 different animals.  Some of the animals you have probably heard of before like the manatee and the giraffe, but other animals are more obscure like the sifaka and the megapodes. The entire book is written in first person, so each animal tells the reader what they did on their first day.

Jenkins has a gift of giving a lot of information in only a few sentences.  For example.  In two sentences we learn that it is very cold when a baby penguin is born and that a baby penguin snuggles into his dad's feathers to stay warm.  A muntjac has to stay by itself, blending in with the shadows, while mom goes and looks for food.  If you want even more information about a specific animal you can turn to the back of the book where Jenkins has included information about where the animal lives, what they eat and other fun facts!

Children will love this book not just for the interesting facts, but for the pictures and all the baby animals!  It is definitely worth checking out, especially if you have never read a Steve Jenkins book.

Happy Reading,
Laura

Books to Make You Laugh

I know there are a TON of books out there that put a smile on your face and make you chuckle.  Here are a few that have made my son laugh out loud the last few weeks.

Don't Push the Button by Bill Cotter

Meet Larry the purple monster.  Inside Larry's book there is a button and YOU MUST NOT PUSH THE BUTTON.  Larry tells us several times that we should not even think about pushing the button but temptation gets the best of us and when no one is looking we push the button!  Suddenly Larry changes from purple to yellow.  When the button is pushed again in hopes to turn Larry back to purple he turns yellow polka dot!  The book goes on, the button gets pushed and something silly happens to Larry.  Finally, Larry gets back to normal but it was so fun we have to push the button one last time!  It is so fun to read this aloud and let kids push the button while you are reading.  It is sure to elicit some laughs!

Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton

An elephant, moose, bear and turkey are the stars of this silly story by Sandra Boynton.  The animals are showing off different articles of clothing.  First, they show off their blue hat, green hat, yellow hat and oops! Turkey is standing in his hat! With each article of clothing (shirts, pants, coat, socks and shoes) Elephant, Moose and Bear are wearing the clothes correctly but Turkey is always being silly.  At the end of the book Turkey is fully dressed correctly, ready to jump in the pool... OOPS! Children love to see the silly ways that Turkey wears his clothes, proving that turkeys really are turkeys!

We Are in a Book by Mo Willems

Elephant and Piggie are back at it and this time they realize they are in a book.  They cannot believe it.  After reveling at how cool it is that they are in a book being read by a reader Piggie has an idea.  She tells Gerald that she can make the reader say a word, if they read out loud.  Gerald thinks this is a great idea.  Piggie says, "Banana" and her and Gerald both lose it, laughing hysterically.  The pages are filled with hahahah and heeeheeeheee.  Piggie and Gerald even have tears in their eyes.  Piggie and Gerald's laughs are contagious.  You will soon find yourself laughing right along with them!

What books make you chuckle?

Happy Reading!
Laura

Babies + Reading = Success

This Plus That Life's Little Equations by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is a sweet and simple book explains some of life's greatest moments by using word equations.

The book starts with a picture of two girls with 1+1= US, so we know right away they are friends.  We follow the girls through the book where they say smile+wave=hello to a little boy.  The three of them go to school (chalk+sitting=school) and play together.  They even find a best friend (laughter+keeping secrets+sharing=best friend).  We see the girls go through all of the seasons (barefoot+screen door+popsicles=summer) and even venture into some of life's more difficult equations (chores/everyone=family). The pictures flow across the pages illustrating the different equations beautifully making it an even more perfect book to read aloud.  My favorite equation is found on the back cover of the book and it is book+chair=cozy, because there is nothing better than cuddling up with a good book!

What are some equations that describe your life's greatest moments?

Here are a few of mine

soil + seeds=garden

mom + dad + son + daughter x love=family

American the Beautiful + car + map + driving + driving + driving=vacation

shoes + running=racing

I would love to hear your life equations!

Happy Reading!
Laura

First the Egg

Every once in a while you come across a book that is fun to read aloud, but also fun to use as a basis for endless writing projects.  First the Egg  by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is that kind of book.  It's versatility reminds me of The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown.

First the Egg is such a simple book, 41 words in the entire book.  Seeger repeats first the ________ then the ___________ through out the entire book, starting of course with first the egg, then the chicken.  Kids will like listening to the book out loud because they can guess what might come next in the predictable text.  Seeger also briefly touches on some basics of the life cycle by including tadpoles, caterpillars and and seeds.

With such a simple text pattern this is a great author's craft to teach students to use in their own writing.  The easiest place to start would be in science when studying the life cycle , or even food chains.  A life cycle book could start first the joey, then the kangaroo.  First the baby then the child and on and on.  To use this text pattern for teaching or writing about the food chain simply start with the bottom of the food chain and work your way up.  First the grass, then the rabbit.  First the rabbit, then the hawk and on and on.

Science is not the only subject area that this text pattern could be used.  Social Studies is full of cause and effect.  Older students could use this text pattern to explain starts of wars or other conflicts throughout history.  It is great to have a book like this in your collection to use in a variety of ways across all ages, even my three-year old enjoyed having this one read aloud.

First the Egg is also a Caldecott Award and Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor book, just another reason to check it out!

Happy Reading!
Laura

The Dandelion's Tale

Death and grief are such hard topics for children. Children struggle to find words that convey the emotions they are feeling and often they are confused and wonder where their loved one is and what they are doing.  Books are always a great way to help children cope and begin to understand, especially books that tell stories.

In The Dandelion's Tale, Kevin Sheehan and Rob Dunlevey tell a beautiful story that will help children to understand that comfort can be found in memories.  

In The Dandelion's Tale Sparrow notices a dandelion crying, alone in the grass.  When asked why she is so sad she explains to Sparrow that she was once strong but now, even the slightest breeze will cause her to lose the rest of her seedpods and no one will know she was there.  Sparrow wanted to help the poor dandelion.  When the dandelion suggests that Sparrow fly her to the other dandelions so she can share her story he was willing to help but saw no other dandelions in sight.  The dandelion was disappointed because her one wish was to be remembered.  Sparrow was determined to help so he offered to write the dandelions story in a patch of dirt.  The dandelion happily told Sparrow everything she wanted to say.  Sparrow wrote how the dandelion loved looking at the white clouds against the blue sky and how she enjoyed hearing children laugh.  She went on and one about all she loved.  When she was finished the dandelion felt very happy and the Sparrow went home.  That night there was a terrible storm and when Sparrow went to check on the dandelion she was gone.  Sparrow was sad but then remembered the dandelion's story.  Sparrow flew over to the patch of dirt only to realize that the storm had washed the dandelion's story away.  Sparrow cried and promised to not forget the dandelion.  A few weeks later, as Sparrow was flying, he noticed a cluster of bright, yellow, baby dandelions.  He settled down in the grass and told them the dandelion's story, and he knew then that the dandelion would never be forgotten.  

I think that Sparrow and the dandelion can teach children that even though someone might be gone, we can remember them through their passions, their loves and especially through their stories.  Children can see hat when we talk about what hurts us or makes us sad, we might just feel better like Sparrow felt better when he sang a song about the dandelion.  From this one simple, yet beautiful story, we can all learn that it is our stories that impact others and keep us living on even after we have gone.  

Happy Reading, 

In Memory of Cheyenne.  Peace and Love Baby!

Laura