It's no secret that I'm a voracious reader (how's that for using a 50 cent word?). Consequently, one thing I really look forward to with my kids is reading to them. We read together pretty much every day. And now my 5 year old reads to me too which is extremely exciting. I realised today that he would probably be ready for me to start reading some novels to him. I think I'm going to start with Stuart Little by E.B. White. It's a classic.
If you do a quick google search it's easy to find lists of classic, must read books for kids. There are many on those lists I can't wait for my kids to discover (Chronicles of Narnia, Charlotte's Web, A Wrinkle in Time, Shiloh, James and the Giant Peach...) and on and on the list goes. But what about books that you read as a child, loved but aren't on these lists? Don't those deserve a spot in the must read pile too?
My favorite book when I was about 8 or 9 was a more obscure title, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards (Andrews). It's a fantastic read, full of imagination.
This got me thinking. There has to be other great titles like this. Those that are very written, but not as well known. Most of us could probably write a top kids read list and come up with a lot of the same titles. But I challenge you now to share a title that isn't on a top 100 list, but deserves to be loved all the same.
My own kids have 2 most favorite books, one that you would find on such a list, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
and the lesser known, The Rain Came Down by David Shannon.
These are the 2 stories that they want to hear again and again and again...so much that my husband recorded himself reading The Rain Came Down onto his iphone so the kids could hear it anytime. Fantastic story that you probably haven't yet heard of.
So what are they? What treasures in books do you share with your kids? What ones are you looking forward to?
You can find a sample of a classic children's top read list at: Teacher's First 100 Best Books
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I've read to my baby since before he was born. And now it's really fun because he loves staring at the pictures and tries to turn the pages himself. Thanks for sharing more great books to check out!
ReplyDeletePeasant Pig and the Sam and Dudley mysteries by Richard Scarry (We ALL have Peasant Pig memorized), which have recently been reprinted.
ReplyDeleteAlso anything by Arnold Lobel -- we love the Frog and Toad books, but "Owl at Home" and "Grasshopper on the Road" are great too -- he is so wise and funny and the illustrations are beautiful.
The Nate the Great series is also fantastic. The characters are so funny and the mysteries are simple and clever. I love reading them as much as the boys love them.
"Library Lion" by Michelle Knudsen was a recent good find, although it has been deemed "too scary".
I had a book shower thrown for me when Lochlan was born, which I loved. So far Lochlan is more interested in the mechanics of the book than the srories themselves, but I am hopeful because I LOVE to read.
ReplyDeleteProbably my favorite that I hope becomes his is Skippy Jon Jones.
-Anna
When I was little, my favorite book was The Jolly Postman...complete with little letters you pulled out of envelopes inside the book.
ReplyDeleteAs an adult, reading to my children now, I realize how multi-faceted so many childrens books are. Kind of like Shrek...there's a child element and a very significant adult element too. I find myself enjoying reading the stories as much (or more) than they do! Some of my favorites are The Little House (Caldecott award winner), Thidwick the Big Hearted Moose (by Dr. Seuss), and Don't Laugh, Joe!
I actually have a list of my favorites on my blog (shamless plug!).