Saturday, October 24, 2009

Reader Recommendations!!

So Hayden is finally getting to an age where he will sit and listen to me read stories (of course lots of pictures is still necessary).

As you probably know there are TONS of children's books out there - and a lot of them are just horrible!! They throw in a few pictures and some simple words and call it a children's book.

I'm looking for some recommendations for good children's books!!

Please leave me a comment with a few of your favorites, I'd love to hear your ideas.

Oh and keep in mind that I have 2 boys, so they might not be as interested in fairies or princesses - although Hayden does love Cinderella, but I think it's the mice he likes, HA!

5 comments:

Gail said...

Roland loves to be read too, I will make a list later. When he sees his favorites in a store, he recognizes it, and wants them, haha.

Gail said...

I love you stinky face is one of his favs....

LeftyMama said...

The library is great for weekly storytimes and trying a book for the first time, but if it turns into a favorite, you'll want your own copy.

Half-Priced Books is a goldmine if your boys ever get into Thomas or any other character series. I also like to (when I have the time) pick through all of the kids books at Goodwill shops; I have found some awesome vintage books that I read growing up, like the Cat in the Hat series (the originals).

Right now, Samson is loving the Madeline books, which I got for $.50 each at Goodwill. The stories feature a Parisian girls' school and a female protagonist, but they've very exciting storylines and I think Samson enjoys the rhyming. He especially likes the story of "Madeline and the Bad Hat," a boy named Pepito who starts out very naughty and then learns to be gentle & kind.

We also read alot of the Osborne phonics books which feature tons of silly rhymes and alliteration.

Other series that Samson adores include the "How Does a Dinosaur ______?" books, the "Oh, David" books, the "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" books, and the "Little Critter" series.

Oh, and for poop-on-the-potty-training for boys, we LOVE the "Even Firefighters Go to the Potty."

Other good ones: "One Hungry Monster" and "Knuffle Bunny."

Bethany said...

Violet's latest craze is "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom". She has also gone through a "No, David" obsession, but I didn't like the book b/c I thought it gave her some bad behavior ideas. "Goodnight Gorilla", Harry the dog books, and Clifford books are also favorites.

We got this one from the library recently and it is full of good books! The only problem is the stories are kind of small but it is a good guide for which ones to look for. I love the library! Can't beat free.

http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-Childrens-Book-Treasury-Picture/dp/0679886478

Robyn said...

Hmm... I think I've already told you all of my best ones. Aside from the Bible story books we talked about, one of Evan's favorites is "Alphabears," which has a teddy bear for each letter with a little rhyme and a gorgeous illustration. Not sure if it'll remain a favorite as time goes on, but he absolutely loves it right now. I confess: some days I hide it after the umpteenth reading. ;)

Other illustrated children's books I kept from my own childhood and hope Evan will like include "The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash," "The Mysterious Tadpole," and "The Velveteen Rabbit." The first two have very colorful pictures that really make the story, and the last... well, that might be wishful thinking, but it's such a classic.

Also, my aunt sent a beautiful Beatrix Potter collection when Evan was born and I'm hoping eventually he'll like that as well. It does have lots of pictures, but I'm sure you've seen the style -- not as vivid or complex as some. I like them, but maybe not as appealing to a very young boy. Evan's not impressed yet.