reading to kids + some of our favorite books!

Reading with kids is near the very top of the list of my favorite things to do with my kids (second to playing spa, anyway… throwback!). Steve is so good at doing imaginative things like army men, and I’m just not. It’s like my brain just doesn’t work like that anymore. (Sad!) But give me a stack of books, a blanket, and a cozy spot, and I could read for hours. I’m trying to be more intentional lately and not turn on the television in the morning opting instead to sit down with some books, and Parker and Anders on either side. Obviously at 5 and nearly 2, they’re not always interested in the same books, so sometimes Anders is on one side throwing a board book on tow trucks my way while Parker can sit and listen to longer books like a Bill Peet. It’s a juggling act but we make it work. Reading is the best.

It’d be hard for me to nail down favorites as they change all the time, so let’s call this next bundle the books we’re loving lately (with a few forever goodies throw in).

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig / A donkey named Sylvester finds a red pebble with magical powers and gets an unexpected surprise. Another Hunt favorite by the same author: Doctor DeSoto (so funny and quirky!).

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson / A mouse takes a stroll through the deep, dark woods, and outsmarts predators and even a Gruffalo. I can recite this one by heart at this point. We’ve been reading it since Parker was a little guy, and now we read it to Anders (and Parker; he still loves it.). Bonus: there’s a follow-up called The Gruffalo’s Child (not as good as the original, though) and a BBC short movie of The Gruffalo as well.

Animal Planet Animal Atlas / This is a fun one to flip through because it goes continent by continent with pictures and short blurbs about some of the cooler animals in each region. Parker picked this one out and it’s been fun to flip through. Also, I’m so surprised at the stuff he already knows. I was trying to teach him about a certain animal and he was like, “Yeah, I know. Wild Kratts already told me.”

Lyle Lyle Crocodile by Bernard Waber / Lyle is a crocodile living with his human family. One problem: an unhappy neighbor who doesn’t like this arrangement. This neighbor changes his mind, though, when Lyle proves to be very useful. Bonus: Just had a reader tell me about The House on 88th Street and it’s in the Lyle series! That’s coming home with us on our next library visit. There’s actually several in the Lyle series, so it’s a fun one to get into.

Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey / Mr. and Mrs. Mallard in Boston need to find a place to live and raise their ducklings! This is a favorite at our house (remember this?! Oh my heart!) We haven’t gotten Anders into it yet (he doesn’t sit for long books quite like Parker did! Working on it!) but hopefully soon. Other good ones by the same author: Blueberries for Sal.

Come Again Pelican by Don Freeman / A pelican is fishing, a boy is fishing, and they discover that they can help one another out of a bind! Other good ones by the same author: Mop Top (this one is really funny), and Norman the Doorman.

Frog and Toad Collection by Arnold Lobel / Frog and Toad are best friends who have the funniest dialogue and situations.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss / Sam is a very persistent boy who wants this unnamed character to try green eggs and ham in the worst way. Bonus: watch this old school cartoon of the story afterwards. Parker’s seen it so many times!

Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman / Nancy Tillman books are the ones that Moms can’t finish without a tear or ten falling. Pick up any, and you’ll love it. Bonus: her illustrations are so beautiful. I’d frame them all.

How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head by Bill Peet / How Bill Peet isn’t on every single list of “best children’s books ever” is beyond me. Somehow I still find so many people (librarians even!) who aren’t familiar with him. His books (and nearly all of them–except, for sure, the Christmas one, which is surprisingly bad) are the number one choice in our house. Others by the same author: Zella Zack and Zodiac (this is one of the most precious stories ever. I choke up (for real) at the end every time. Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent. The Whingdingdilly. Buford the Little Big Horn. Cowardly Clyde. I think we own every single Bill Peet book and it’s our most prized collection.

A tip: Utilize your library’s website! This is probably painfully obvious for some, but if your library is anything like ours, you can sign into the website and reserve these books from home–even if they’re from another library 15 miles away (within your consortium). They email you when they’ve got them behind the desk (which is usually within a day or two) and then you literally walk in, give them your name, and grab them. It helps to avoid the random grabbing of sub-par books by going to the library without a plan. With that said, we still go to the library and let the boys pick books out willy-nilly. Case in point: Parker grabbed about ten books about military Humvees on our last trip.

What are your family favorites?