Picture perfect

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For my third post in a row on the delights of picture books, here's a list to shop by. Some books adults like, some books kids like (and adults wished they didn't), and some are winners all around. Here are Max's (age 4) and Maggie's (age 18 months) favorite reads that their parents also enjoy.

MAX

Chicks and Salsa, by Aaron Reynolds and Paulette Bogan - Max loves these animals culinary adventures, and I love to read about food. Yummm...

Everywhere Babies, Susan Meyers and Marla Frazee - A babyhood favorite that Max still enjoys. This one has been around for a decade and won't be out of date anytime soon.

Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School, by Nathan Hale - Nate's colorful, bold paintings work so well with the simple text. There's so much exploring to do in each illustration, and the story is familiar and fun. A winner!

Baby Shoes, by Dashka Slater and Hiroe Nakata - Fun, rhyming text with great repeating lines both my kids love, and a story idea mom can so relate to.

Goodnight, Me, by Andrew Daddo and Emma Quay - If you like the idea of Goodnight, Moon but can't bear to read it one more time, this is a fantastic alternative. Sweet pencil sketches of a baby chimp saying goodnight to all his/her body parts. Lovely.

Bark, George, by Jules Feiffer - Some adults find this bizarre, but kids love it, and honestly, so do parents like us. Jules rocks.

The Spider and the Fly, by Mary Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi - Max tends to be a little macabre, and this is so up his alley. From the old poem, Tony's Newbery Honor-winning illustrations make this good creepy fun.

A Kitten Tale, by Eric Rohmann - Let's pretend we don't know that Eric is one of the hottest men of children's literature and look at this book on its own merits--yep, it still rocks. The illustrations are luscious. Max loves examining what the kittens do on each page and repeating the line, "I can't wait!"

Anything by Mo Willems.

A Very, Hairy, Scary Story, by Rick Walton,  David Clark - I mentioned Max's enjoyment of the slightly scary. He totally digs this book.

But Not the Hippopotamus, by Sandra Boynton

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak - of course.

MAGGIE

Red Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton (one of the best kids books EVER written)
Hey, Wake Up! by Sandra Boynton
Good Dog, Carl and Carl's Afternoon in the Park, by Alexandra Day
Hug, by Jez Alborough
Busy Piggies, by Jon Schindel and Steven Holt
Anything by Matthew van Fleet
Good Night, Gorilla, by Peggy Rathmann

Also, Freud. Seriously, she's always pulled the Freud books off our shelves, sitting down and flipping through them while reading aloud in her own sweet language. I wouldn't really recommend Freud for all 18-month-olds, of course. At least not until they come out with an illustrated edition.

What are your childhood favorites? Household favorites that both kids and parents enjoy?

Comments

[Elizabeth Bowen]

I've always loved "Guess how much I love you"(can't remember the author.)

[Rose]

Company's Coming, by Arthur Yorinks
Baker Cat, by Posy Simmonds (but this is for a little older pb reader--the baker is one mean, scary dude!)
Sandra Boynton's Dog Train CD/book
anything by Max Velthjuis, esp. Frog in Love
The Magic School Bus books
Kevin Henkes pbs (esp. the funny ones, like with Lilly, or Weekend with Wendell)
LOVE Marla Frazee!!
David Wiesner
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins (so old, yet so good! We've worn out two copies, I think)
The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher, by Molly Bang (another oldie)
And when I was a kid, these two were favorites in our house: The Moon Singer, by Robert Clyde Bulla (illos by Trina Schart Hyman, may she RIP), and The Best New Thing, by Isaac Asimov.

[Carlie]

I love picture books too. They are so fun, and they evoke such wonderful memories. When you mentioned Carl, I immediately thought of a holiday favorite, Carl's Christmas. So great. Here's my list, and it's long :)

-"You Are Special" by Max Lucado--Wonderful story about being yourself and being confident.
-"The Napping House" by Audrey Wood--just funny! Plain and simple!:)
-"Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney--one of my all time favorites. It's pretty and darling and just so quaint and pleasing.
-"Nora's Surprise" by Satomi Ichikawa--hilarious, with an excellent message.
-"Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride" by Kate DiCamillo--awesome starter chapter book. So fun and the illustrations are cute too.
-"The Quiltmaker's Gift" by Jeff Brumbeau, illstr. by Gail de Marcken-wonderful. Everything about it. It manages to capture gorgeous writing along with adventures with bears and princes, and the illustrations are simply to die for.
-"Parents in the Pigpen, Pigs in the Tub" by Amy Ehrlich, illustrated by Steven Kellog-the perfect mix of nonsense and hilarity!
-"'Wait for me!' said Maggie McGee" by Jean Van Leeuwen--I thought you might appreciate this a little bit more since your youngest is named Maggie. :) It's such a darling story, anyway.
-"The Real Pretend" by Joan Donaldson, illstr. by Tasha Tudor--completely adore it. Everything about it. The cutest story about a brother and sister I've ever read.
-"The Faraway Drawer" by Harriett Diller--beautiful. The way it flows makes me remember reading with my mom every time.
-"Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey--I love this book! It's such a fun story to read aloud!
-"The Remarkable Farkle McBride" by John Lithgow--another really fun read aloud. It's a rhyme about instruments. Perfect!
-And, finally, "In the Company of Bears" by A.B. Curtiss--A great story book about imagination. And it's all illustrations of big, fluffy polar bears by Barbara Stone. Amazing.

So, that's a wrap. Forgive my list. It would've gone on and on, but I stopped myself. :) If only I could do book reports about these childhood favorites...enjoy!

[Justina]

Little Bo by Julie Edwards Andrews (yes, the sound of music lady)
Calvin and Hobbes (they are so much fun!)
And maybe not for now but for later with them...
Have you read the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster?
And the Magic Tree house Series by Mary Pope Osborne (this is the series that actually got me interested in reading when i was very young, second grade-ish)

[Justina]

Ooh! Ooh! And you should try "There's An Alligator Under My Bed" by Mercer Mayer

[myrna]

What a fun post!

Sandra Boynton is one of the best authors for babies. My two oldest children loved "Moo, Baa, La La La" best, but Gwenyth's favorite was "Barnyard Dance." And they just giggled all of the way through "Red Hat, Green Hat."

Gwenyth is 13 months, and she loves anything by Jane Cabrera. I try to get a Cabrera book for her and a Mo Williams book for my six-year-old whenever we go to the library. He loves "The Magic Tree House" and "Mercy Watson" too though. "Mercy Watson" by Kate DiCamillo is hysterical. And we love "One was Johnny" and Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. My oldest daughter went through a phase (1st grade) where we read everything we could find by Shel Silverstein. I bought "Where the Sidewalk Ends" because it was my favorite collection of his.

The "Henry and Mudge" books by Cynthia Rylant are all wonderful. Max would probably love them. They're very funny.

I can't wait to read "Rapunzel's Revenge" next month!

[Jane]

My all-time favorite picture book is "Swamp Angel" by Anne Isaacs. There's a subltle humor in their that even grown-ups can enjoy. :)

My mom used to read the Little House on the Prairie series out loud, and I loved that too.

[Mrs. Mordecai]

My son, age 2:

Peek-a-Moo by Bernard Most

[Amber]

My daughter (23 months) has been in love with Goodnight, Gorilla for almost a year. She's gotten particularly good at making the "O" face of the zookeeper's wife after she's surprised by the animals in the room. Apparently, it's the funniest book ever. (Although Olivia is catching up...)

[ashley]

My little brother loves the Skippy John Jones books by Judy Schachner. I like to hear my mom read them to him. She gets all into it attempting a Mexican accent and singing and clapping. The books are cute, and my mom makes them simply hysterical.

[Tara!]

You would all love any and all children's books by Maira Kalman! Especially the Max books, about a dog named Max Stravinsky who is a poet and dreams of going to Paris. They are TREMENDOUSLY funny for all ages, and splendidly illustrated too!

[Kat]

My favorite books as a kid were:
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes (to this day I still use the bookmark),
Katie and the Impressionists series by James Mayhew,
The Madeline series by Ludwig Bemelmans,
The Paddington Bear books,
and most likely hundreds more that I cannot remember.

[Emily]

I'm a senior in high school this year, and sometimes I go to a daycare near my school to read to the kids. The best part is when I see a book that I remember from when I was younger and I get to read it again! And sometimes when I'm at my cousins' house and I'm bored, I sneak into their rooms and read the picture books. I loved the Madeline series, and a series about an Italian witch named Strega Nona. And I really loved this book called Stellaluna by Janell Cannon, which was about a bat.

[Dr. Sallie N. Cheinsteen]

-Are You My Mother (not sure of the author)
-Go Dog Go!
-Old Hat New Hat
-Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?
-Others I can't remember the name of.
- One I also don't know the name of about a bunny and a golden egg.
-Horton Hatches an Egg (Dr. Seuss)
-Peter Rabbit
-Vera the Mouse (probably my very favorite, but it might be out of print.

[Dr. Sallie N. Cheinsteen]

-Lily's Purple Plastic Purse
-Chrysanthemum

[Laura Z M]

We love Marla Frazee's work, too, especially her delicious illustrations in The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman.

And speaking of Mary Ann Hoberman, we have great fun with her You Read to Me, I'll Read to You series.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin is a personal favorite, and the kids love it, too.

Yay for Rick Walton! Bertie Was a Watchdog is such fun.

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke are our two favorite princess picture books.

We're big fans of Keiko Kasza, especially My Lucky Day. And Simms Taback's There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is a visual treat.

And we love so many more...

[Christen]

I've loved Goodnight Gorilla since I was a kid! :D Maggie has good taste. Freud...

[Liesolotte]

My younger brother loves 'Daddy Makes the best spaghetti'. 'The Summerfolk is another absolutely wonderful book. But here are some more:

The Hundred Dresses Eleanor Estes (For children a bit older, perhaps, but wonderful nonetheless.)

Play With Me Marie Hall Ets (I have always loved this simply illustrated, simply wonderful,book.)

The Velveteen Rabbit Margery Williams (!!!!!!!)

Weslandia Paul Fleischman (I'll admit that I sometimes read this book to myself just for the fun of it.)

A Bag Full of Nothing Jay Williams (With such a lovely title, it must be worth a try, right?)

Anything by Jan Brett, Sandra Boynton, Audrey Wood, Shel Silverstein...

And last but not least...THE ADVENTURES OF WINNIE-THE-POOH! A.A. Milne has lessons in here for every one of us, of any age. These stories are absolute delights.

[Ruby Diamond]

Shannon you have GOT to try "Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood" by Mike Artell.

Of course I love Olivia and it's sequels, by Ian Falconer. And lets not forget Zen Shorts (Jon J. Muth), Miss Nelson is Missing (Harry Allard), and The Paper Bag Princess (Robert Munsch).

Also, thanks for thinking my baby is gorgeous! We're, like, BFF.

[Carly]

I have a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and a 9-month old and we all love books! Some of our kid favorites:

A Fly Went By by Mike McClintock
Oh, David! by David Shannon
Ice Cream Bear by Jez Alborough
10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle
the Clifford series by Norman Bridwell
Curious George by Margret & H.A. Rey
and many others already mentioned (Sandra Boynton, Doreen Cronin, Mo Willems...)

We've read a lot of the books you mentioned and will check out the others!

[calandria]

Right now we are very into illustrated fairy tales and folk tales. A big favorite has been Princess Stories: A Classic Illustrated Edition, complied by Cooper Edens. It includes some of the great classic illustrations by Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham, and others. Highly recommended. Seriously, I wish I had started reading the classic versions of fairy and folk tales with my kids (6,8,10,13) much earlier.

We love the Babar books by Jean de Brunhoff.
Roxaboxen, Barbara Cooney
Love You Forever, Robert Munsch
McDuff series by Rosemary Wells
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Snip, Snap, Snur books by Maj Lindman
Frances books by Russell Hoban
anything by Kevin Henkes and Robert McCloskey

[Jackee]

Do boys like Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park? My daughter (Max's age) can't get enough of that rascally girl, esp. the first grader series when her grammar (and behavior!) improves.

My son (Maggie's age) loves any book with flaps or texture insets.

And their mutual favorites:
Hush Little Baby by Silvia Long
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Anything written by
Dr. Suess (of course!)
Sandra Boynton
Bill Martin Jr.

[Meghan]

We LOVE
The Day the Babies Crawled Away
by Peggy Rathman

[Kristina]

This is my first time posting. I love your blog - great view into the creative process, as well as motherhood.

Too bad your kids are younger than my older one, 6.5. I would love to get good book recommendations. In first grade, she turned into a book worm. This kid will pick up a book, and won't stop til she finishes it. She went through Magic Tree House series, A-Z mysteries, Geronimo Stilton, some Beverly Cleary, Cam Jensen. On your recommendation, we read Hugo Cabret together -that was fun. I can't wait til she is old enough to explore some of your YA recommendations, but I need suggestions now.

My second child is 3.5 years old, so I will just watch what Max likes. :) Although she prefers to 'read' the books herself. I think I am raising another bookworm.

[Kristina]

If Max is into gory, is he old enough for Edward Gorey? Some of his stories are accessible to the young ones, like the Bug Story and The Doubtful Guest.

[Gabrielle]

We love Sandra Boynton! She has these great CD-and-book packages, like "Philadelphia Chickens" and "Pigorian Chant," my favorite. It's "Gregorian Chant" sung in Pig Latin... it's absolutely roll-on-the-floor hilarious! I haven't read her Hat book though.

[calandria]

Hey Shannon, I'd be interested to know what versions of fairy tales you like to read.

[Shayla Smoot]

I love the sandra boynton books too! My mom would read them to me ALL the time! And now I am 12 and still enjoy reading them. they are so cute to read and the pictures are to die for!! It is so fun to read little kids books... even if you aren't a kid!! :)

[shannon hale]

Great reccs! Ooh, Gorey...I'm going to get one today.

[shannon hale]

Calandria, I like to read the Grimm originals. I grew up with two illustrated tomes, The World's Greatest Fairy Tales, which I loved and where I first met the goose girl.

[brinnaroo]

I'll always love Sandra Boyton...

defintitely Barnyard Dance and But not the Hippopotamus are the best!

(though I'll always pity that amadillo...)

[Katie-wa]

The Berenstain Bears, Are You My Mother?, Junie B. Jones, all the Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer, Vera the Mouse, Peter Rabbit, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle (amazing stuff), No Jumping On The Bed, There's A Duck In My Closet... Too many to name! I remember my mom reading to me all the time as a kid. She instilled my love of books. And my love of writing, too. Have fun!

[Sandra]

I really don't think you'd want Maggie reading an illustrated edition of Freud--scary!

~Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom!
~Mrs. Nelson is Missing
~Enemy Pie

[kaelen-nc]

i love enemy pie too. i also love click clack moo, cows that type,
the golden egg,
and bunny's rainbow day, although that one might be too easy.

[Megan M.]

Totally late to this party, but I had to add Trashy Town by Andera Zimmerman and David Clemesha. It's about a garbage collecter and has this great repetitive text. Last year, my preschool class loved it so much they built a town out of blocks and chanted the repetitive text as they pretended to collect garbage from the town. Every day. For two weeks.