Books I'm saving for my grandchildren
November 12, 2010Children's books floor me. The well-written ones, that is. Boy, are there some crap kid's books out there. But the good ones--they're like magic. They seem so simple and effortless, and yet they're such a pleasure to read out loud. Damn it, I wish I could do that.
I love some of Henry's books more than he does. And even now that he's (maybe) outgrown these, I will be keeping them. Forever and ever.
Hondo and Fabian
;)
Hondo is the dog. Fabian is the cat. Hondo goes to the beach. Fabian stays home.
I not only want Hondo and Fabian to be my dog and my cat, I want to live in this world. Look how peaceful it is! Nothing bad ever happens in Hondo and Fabian's home. You can tell. There is always tidiness and order and turkey sandwiches.
I bought Hondo and Fabian when I was pregnant with Henry. One look at the pictures, and I was hooked. We read it together pretty much from the time he was born, and even though it's way too babyish for him now, he'll still deign to let me read it to him, if only to humor me. He is a patient and understanding boy. While I'm reading it I try not to cry into his hair.
Cars and Trucks and Things that Go
;)
All the Richard Scarry books are so charming and magical and witty, but I especially love this book. It's like ten books in one. Henry has loved it since he could sit up, and he'll still spend an afternoon flipping through it, when he thinks I'm not looking. It's incredibly weird, like all excellent children's books are.
;)
Ferdinand is a gentle bull. He doesn't want to fight in the bullring, like all the other young bulls do. All he wants is "to sit just quietly and smell the flowers."
I love that "just." The first thing I was told in my first writing class was to remove the word "just" from all of my stories, but that is one hell of a perfect "just."
And check out this line [the italics are my own]: "His mother saw that he was not lonesome, and because she was an understanding mother, even though she was a cow, she let him just sit there and be happy."
Even though she was a cow. Come ON.
Also, is she not the best mom ever? I wish I could be as sanguine about my kid when he refuses any and all opportunities to get some fresh air. She leaves him alone, and Ferdinand ends up being happy and content with himself! Some of the best children's books are also excellent parenting guides.
Toot and Puddle
;)
There are a bunch of Toot and Puddle books, but I'm partial to the first, which was gifted to Henry by my friend Lexie. (I've also heard that there's a Toot and Puddle cartoon, but I have never seen it and hope to never have to. Don't ruin the Toot and Puddle who live in my head! Yes, they live in my head! Don't judge me!)
The watercolor illustrations are stunning. And I never stopped snickering at the name "Woodcock Pocket," because I am a child. Also, what is this relationship between Toot and Puddle? They've got some kind of Boston marriage going on, here. And yes, I realize that's a term reserved for two women, but you tell me what you'd call this Bert-and-Ernie living situation going on between two pigs. You tell me!
So! I'm sure you have some favorites, too. And now you're going to share them with me and the rest of us. Yes, you are. Go on.
Reader Comments (112)
Yes, you are right.
I am going to share, but I am frozen which the choices.
I will tell you this, my 8 yr old and I just packed away Too Precious To Give Away books in a box. A big box.
When my oldest was a tiny baby, my mom presented me with my very own big box of Too Precious To Give Away books that I had gathered when I had outgrown them. The. Best. Gift. Ever.
Some of the current books that made it into my littlest box: Miss Rumphius and quite a few books by Mo Willems.
I will stop now.
Trust me. I could go on and on. Picture books are the best.
I dare you to read Thank you, Mr. Falker without tearing up. Beauty, emotion, and entertainment in a 10 minute book...what an art form!
...another lurker here, de-lurking after 3 years of reading your blog!
I've always suspected that there are some childrens' books we appreciate more as adults. To that end, some of the amazing books from my childhood that I am more in love with now than ever before:
Annie and Moon by Miriam Smith
Pitschi by Hans Fischer
Regenbogenschatten, illustrated by Masahiro Kasuya (this one's in German, but I suspect it was originally published in English - most beautiful illustrations)
Possum Magic by Mem Fox
Wombat Stew by Marcia K Vaughan, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
Chicken soup with rice by Maurice Sendak
Agree with the previous comment about Shirley Hughes and all the Alfie and Annie Rose books. Lovely. Perfect.
And I never tire (well, almost never!) of reading The Cat in the Hat.
Also, check out The Tiger Who Came to Tea. The cadence and simplicity and magic.
Daniel and Jill Pinkwater's books about polar bears (Irving and Muktuk, and the better-behaved Larry)
Susan Meddaugh's books, not just Martha, but Hog-Eye and Harry on the Rocks
Tracy Campbell Pearson's Bob
Anna Dewdney Llama Llama Red Pajama
Winnifred Morris What If the Shark Wears Tennis Shoes?
Yes, to Ferdinand.
And the history behind it. It was censored by Nazi Germany for encouraging "individuality."
Love that part about it...because that is precisely why it is a favorite here, and I love to just have it sitting in our kid's room.
"The Heart and the Bottle" by Oliver Jeffers. It's a new release and by far one of my favorite children's books. The artistry is out of this world incredible and the story teaches children (and adults) about loss, grief, and recovery. Plus, the author is Brooklyn-based and appears to be a hottie. What's not to love?
"Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile" -- as urban New York sorts, you must have had the Lyle books, no? He is my favorite anthropomorphic reptile, that Lyle.
The Shel Silverstein book, "A Giraffe And A Half". There is nothing about this book that doesn't make me absolutely burst with smiles. I mean, it has a giraffe. It has a giraffe wearing a suit -- a full-on suit! -- and riding a bicycle and all kinds of other things. (And did I mention that the giraffe wears a suit? And a tie??? Gah!)
*ahem*
I actually bought the Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever for myself last winter, in a fit of nostalgia. I am still in love with this book. What's so funny about this, though, is there are certain illustrations in this book that I have had occasional overwhelming flashes of, in my mind, for all of my adult life, and I had no idea where they were from or why I would sometimes picture these particular things (the picture of the pink ice cream with the blob of jellied candy/candied fruit/whatever on top of it, in the Charlie Chipmunk Feeds Hilda Hippo Her ABCs story is an example of this) until I was paging through the book last winter, and it was like the weirdest and most complete memory flood I've ever had. (Lowly Worm and Charlie Chipmunk are my favorites.)
Alexander's Terrible Horrible No-Good Very Bad Day. The illustrations are hilariously dated but the message is great: sometimes you have a really sucky day and that's fine.
This post caught my eye, particularly the Richard Scarry Book photo. Having read heaps of books to my kids I had favourites and not so favourites. Bananas Gorilla always good value. My oldest son used to like the book where the bananas flew from a blender and stuck to the roof. Almost always a belly laugh. I also bought a Golden Book (keeping it new) called The Sailor Dog. I had that story when I was little. Now they only read Facebook.
hmmm, there are so many wonderful ones these days.
For younger readers, Mo Willems' Piggy and Elephant books
Neil Gaiman's Crazy Hair (For slightly older)
I'd really like to eat a child (forgetting the author)
Tacky the Penguin. (I love Tacky and all his adventures!)
Richard Scarry, of course. And Judith Viorst, The Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day. (I think I'll move to Australia).
Alice! I found the sweetest Peter McCarty book for my Henry (2 years old) last Valentine's Day..."Henry in Love." Very sweet and understated and, of course, we're big on books that have a protagonist named Henry. (Also great: When You Were Small). Even though he likes all these great books okay, he always seems to grab that stupid cloth book with the terrible illustrations and buckle that's impossible to buckle or some tiny board book that's about 4 pages long and demand that we read those to him, too.
Anything illustrated by Eloise Wilkin, although Baby's Christmas seems to be the one that's getting passed along in my extended family so far, and Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself by Marget Wise is as charming as ever. My other favorites were Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, the Amelia Bedelia series, some of the Frog and Toad books, and [what else? my mind has gone blank--I read children's books almost every day at work--maybe it's too much to think about on my day off]. :)
Two books I haven't seen recommended yet that we love: "I'd Really Like to Eat a Child" by Sylviane Donnio is a hilarious story about a picky crocodile.
My sons enjoyed the rhyming verses and empowering preschool heroism in "The Day the Babies Crawled Away" by Peggy Rathmann. Lovely to read aloud.
We LOVE Hondo and Fabian and all the other McCarty books we have. Our 16-month-old twins giggle and squeal at every other page. They try to eat the fish and the turkey sandwich and all the subsequent illustrations.
One thing I love about the book (kind of along the lines of your comment about the orderliness) is the architecture. All of the colors and moldings and angles in the Craftsman bungalow are right on the money. Somehow that's very satisfying to me.
As an elderly old person, I go all the way back to an early Dr. Seuss, McElligot's Pool. It absolutely ignited my 6-year old imagination.
Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day. It's the only book my son ever needs when we go anywhere. It's a bazillion books in one. Moon Plane because it makes me cry. Goodnight Moon because it's now an early reader for my 5 yo - it's the book that keeps on giving. Toy Boat b/c it's existential and a lovely, beautifully illustrated story.
Thanks everyone for the recommendations! I am filling up my children's Amazon wish lists now!
to be a pain in the butt, my favorites are mostly out of print. I had kept them; they are very popular now with my children:
"House of Flowers; House of Stars" by Beni Montresor
"Little Witch" by Anna Elizabeth Bennet
"Fairy Tales" by e.e. cummings (reprinted, but I prefer the old line illustrations in our copy)
"Dear Diary" by Sara Fanelli (and really any of her books are lovely)
Kipper books were some of my favorites--I could lay on an English accent while reading. I also liked Sandra Boynton's "Pajama Time" because I would kind of sing/scat it. Dinosaur Bob is also a brilliant book--so funny. Oh, and Knuffle Bunny. Can't forget that (and it's set in Park Slope!!)
Anything by Kevin Henckes is saved, in hard cover, for future generations.
I have no kids yet, but I have students. And the book that has been tickling me the most recently is Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems.
Ah, Maurice Sendak's "Pierre" is so awesome.
"Harold and the Purple Crayon" --love love it!
"Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" (which made both me and my husband tear up whenever we read it to the kids. It's just so wrong--Sylvester's right there, and his parents don't know it!)
"Madeline"--classic for me and my daughter as children (generations apart).
Frog and Toad stories, as well as the Little Bear series.
"I'll Teach My Dog One Hundred Words" is a family favorite, as are those bizarre Richard Scarry books.
Gah! There you go, making me all nostalgic about having little ones. They grow up so quickly.
Oh Ferdinand! I have the silhouette of Ferdinand lounging beneath the cork tree tattooed on my calf. You picked out my favorite parts of the book in your short review as well, pointing out that his mother was ONLY a cow -of course- and that perfect "just." It is that "just" that makes his endeavor so simple and sweet, so natural but important none the less, "just."
Some favorites here are Frederick, The King the Mice and the Cheese, The Lorax, The Places You'll Go, Polar Express, and any classic Pooh.
My list of faves is too long to go into here!
But there's this: when I was a kid visiting my grandmother she had only one children's book -- ELOISE. My how I loved that book and that child and her life. As an adult, I purchased each Eloise book and they live on the bookshelf in my bedroom. Of course, I read them to my daughter, too. She has now, at age 9, "outgrown" picture books (according to her). So my favorite thing in the world is walking into my bedroom and finding her curled up on my bed, with an Eloise book cradled in her arms. We snuggle together and read and giggle for the 900th time over her silly adventures.
I have a four-year old and the first book we bought for him, while he was in utero, was Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems. Since then, we've collected most of the Elephant and Piggie books and checked everything else he's written out of the library at least once. He is reliably funny and just the right length for reading aloud. Plus, there is a pigeon hidden in almost all of his books. We also have all the pigeon books by him (Don't let the pigeon drive the bus, the pigeon finds a hot dog, don't let the pigeon stay up late).
Also, "No, David" was really fun to read aloud--he has that one at school, though, so I don't get to read it anymore.
And I kind of like the Olivia books, mostly the first one and the missing toy one. And Tuesday by whoever wrote that. And Mouse Paint.
But he has a whole bookshelf packed with books, and when I am allowed to pick, I almost always go for something by Mo Willems.
I love the Francis books - Bread and Jam for Francis best of all. The original Curious George is awesome with him smoking a pipe before bead. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is great.
Some newer books that I love are I Stink and I'm Dirty about a garbage truck and a backhoe loader by Kate and Jim Mcmullan. I also love The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill.