Favorite Children's Books

[iamdragonrider]

So I'm shopping for my niece, she's turning four, and totally into books. Which is good, because as the Auntie, it's required that I buy the kids books for their birthdays. Not that they don't get other cool stuff, but they get books too, on their birthdays.

And as I'm perusing all these classics, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Alexander and the Windup Mouse, and Fredrick, the Little Critter books, and Goodnight Moon, and it makes me wonder, what are your favorites?

I think one of mine is Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type. And The Owl Who Loved Sunshine. But i couldn't possibly stop there. the hardest I think, is only buying a few books every year, otherwise the poor kids would be buried up to their necks in books.

Anyway, any favorites? What do the kids like these days, do they still like the stuff us older folks call classics, I hope so.

[Pharaoh Atem]

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

[LiliJ]

Aw! I just became an Auntie too - really looking forward to this stage!!

I would recommend Peter Pan (and the official sequel Peter Pan In Scarlet), and Winnie the Pooh. Original Pooh, that is, not Disney. Oh, and Tom Sawyer, which is well crafted, insightful and hilarious. These books are perhaps the most beautiful ever written for children, and tbh I still read them and love them!

Alice in Wonderland is good too, but really wierd and quite dark...

[JackandSamAddict]

This is a GREAT thread for a teacher! Umm, my pre-kers love Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems, which is a fun read! They especially love the parts where Trixie talks her baby talk. I like the book a lot.

I love, love, love The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (though I did have to stop and ask lots of questions throughout the book, most of which were answered without prompting). They liked The Hello, Goodbye Window. It has great illustrations.

Now here are some that I have either read for reading classes in college or to students. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, Yo! Yes? is a good book. The Fancy Nancy books are great. So are the Pinkalicious books (there is one titled Purplicious ).

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?,
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,
Llama Llama Red Pajama (there are other Llama Llama books),
Good Night Gorilla (wordless),
Tikki Tikki Tembo,
Corduroy,
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?,
The Kissing Hand,
Olivia,
Make Way for Ducklings,
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (good for alphabet learning),
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?,
Owl Moon,
The Napping House.

I could go on forever. Really, my kiddos like anything that has funny pictures, funny words, little things (like them) like mice, or just little kids...They like classic stories, the especially like something if YOU like something. I told them before I read them The Giving Tree that it was one of my favorite books, and they wanted to hear it. Anywho, I hope my loooooong list helps you some!

[Replicator Todd]

The Polar Express
Harry Potter (does that count?)
A Series of Unfortunate Events (that might not count)

[iamdragonrider]

Oh, lots of good ones in that list. Original Pooh, Meatballs, Courdoroy, Make Way for Ducklings. And more. All very good. I did what I usually do, mixed a few classics with some newer titles. In the past, it's led to gems like Click Clack Moo series, which started out as Philip's favorite, and now, Alaina drags it around.

Oh, and thinking of Philip made me remember for boys (now, he's a tough one to buy for! now nine, but just now starting to eek out a 1st-2nd grade reading level, but he's finally starting to like books, but it's so hard to get ones that he will find interesting at his age that won't frustrate him!) when I got him "How I Became a Pirate" and "Pirates Don't Do Diapers" a few years ago lol, very funny books.

[iamdragonrider]

The Polar Express
Harry Potter (does that count?)
A Series of Unfortunate Events (that might not count)

The Polar Express is one of my favorites. As is Harry, for older kids. Why wouldn't unfortunate Events count? It is a book series too, isn't it?

[Replicator Todd]

The Polar Express is one of my favorites. As is Harry, for older kids. Why wouldn't unfortunate Events count? It is a book series too, isn't it?

Well Unfortunate and Harry are directed at the same age group.

[iamdragonrider]

Well Unfortunate and Harry are directed at the same age group.

Well, I didn't really say what age group, though Alaina is turning four. Philip, nine, loves the movies for all the books you've mentioned, but with his slow growing reading skills, chapter books are sadly out of his grasp, but hopefully not forever at the rate he's been growing with a new program, under a new teacher he loves.

Anyway, if we are talking about books for older kids, no little girl can grow up without reading the Little House Series. I had to introduce them to a friend who had somehow missed them growing up. She went out and bought them after reading them. She had no idea how different (and better) the books were compared to the TV show. They now sit waiting for her little one to grow into them.

[JackandSamAddict]

Well, I didn't really say what age group, though Alaina is turning four. Philip, nine, loves the movies for all the books you've mentioned, but with his slow growing reading skills, chapter books are sadly out of his grasp, but hopefully not forever at the rate he's been growing with a new program, under a new teacher he loves.

Anyway, if we are talking about books for older kids, no little girl can grow up without reading the Little House Series. I had to introduce them to a friend who had somehow missed them growing up. She went out and bought them after reading them. She had no idea how different (and better) the books were compared to the TV show. They now sit waiting for her little one to grow into them.

Oh, the Little House Series! Oh, one of my first loves!

As for boys...I did some student teaching in a 2nd grade class, and she still did read-alouds (which I find nice for ANY age) and all the kids, but especially the boys liked the Horrible Harry series. They are chapter books, however. Other good books...The Authur series...I know I didn't mention him before, but Dr. Suess. He has wonderful books that are timeless. They are also great for sight word reading. Oh, and if he likes the Pirates books...he'll like David Shannon's (illustrator) books too. He writes the David series (starts with No, David!) He wrote A Bad Case of Stripes, also.

What is something he loves? Like some of my boys really like dinosaurs, I would get them books on their level about dinosaurs. Finding something that intrests him will make the reading fun. There is also something neat at barnesandnoble.com...It gives you a list of other books the child may like based on the books he already has or likes.

[Iffy]

Jenny's Hat and Donkey Donkey were two of my favorites. I gave them to kids I tutored they enjoyed them too.

Oh and Make Way for Ducklings.

[iamdragonrider]

Oh, the Little House Series! Oh, one of my first loves!

As for boys...I did some student teaching in a 2nd grade class, and she still did read-alouds (which I find nice for ANY age) and all the kids, but especially the boys liked the Horrible Harry series. They are chapter books, however. Other good books...The Authur series...I know I didn't mention him before, but Dr. Suess. He has wonderful books that are timeless. They are also great for sight word reading. Oh, and if he likes the Pirates books...he'll like David Shannon's (illustrator) books too. He writes the David series (starts with No, David!) He wrote A Bad Case of Stripes, also.

What is something he loves? Like some of my boys really like dinosaurs, I would get them books on their level about dinosaurs. Finding something that intrests him will make the reading fun. There is also something neat at barnesandnoble.com...It gives you a list of other books the child may like based on the books he already has or likes.

Philip is a tough case because while he is nine, in the fourth grade, and otherwise very bright, he's had a very difficult time until very recently in learning to read. As such, his reading level stagnated around a barely first grade reading level for the longest time. And he recognizes that his reading skills are not on par with his peer group. He knows that books for first grade reading level are not meant for kids his age, and he wants more information than what is provided, but books written for his age are too much for him to handle.

But his confidence in reading and growing skills are improving, and he's gone from "aw man" when it's time to practice reading to "ok", and this past summer, when I got him a pocket field guide on animals and H. A. Ray's The Constellations to go along with the real binoculars for his 9th birthday, he actually found them interesting. And he actually looks at the books, even if it's more to see the pictures than to read the words.

Still, his special needs make it a challenge to find books for him. I've found that non-fiction seems to be the best way to go. He's lost interest in fiction stories, even though he still likes pirates and marvel heroes and such. But he's a big history buff (loves the history channel) and the binoculars have fostered an interest in celestial objects and the natural world around him that I intend to take every advantage of.

The DK readers seem to be the best, but still, it's hard finding the right mix of books that don't cram tons of tiny little text onto pages with few pictures, or that are clearly written for very young kids. It makes me wish there was a market for kids like him, bright kids, that just have a difficulty in a smaller area of learning.

Oh, and I can't believe I forgot Where the Wild Things Are. I have to see the movie, has anyone seen it, was it any good?

[capricaabydos]

Ahh so many books to choose from, but my kids really like "where the wild things are by Maurice Sendak"my 2 year old likes "spots first walk by erick hill", and my 10 year old used to love the "junie b jones" books and "george's key to the universe by lucy and stephan hawkins" my 8yr old loves books by dr seus " one fish two fish red fish blue fish, but one of our faves was the foot book, we also like "dora's eggs by julie sykes -jane chapman" and "dig dig digging by margaret mayo - alex ayliffe" but our favorites are " if you give a mouse a cookie, if you give a moose a muffin, if you give a cat a cupcake and if you take a mouse to school" but now my 10 n 8 year old like the book "diary of a whimpy kid" and my 5yr old likes "I love you forever" I really like it too, well that's all I can remember so far .....

[Iffy]

Mrs Spider is fun.

[iamdragonrider]

So many new books to look for, thanks all. I love the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" series!

I just ordered The Paperbag Princess, I haven't read it yet, but the reviews were good.