Good Children’s Books

[The Amish Tyrant]

Three generations of my family have had this book.
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And they have a sequel.

 

[milk]

If your kids are very verbal, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson in fun and fantastic.

I recommend reading to kids, a few pages each night, at bedtime.

Hearing new words, in context is a game changer for child development.

Here is a plot summary (spoiler alert): Treasure Island - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Island

Starts slowly then It's riveting.

My oldest is 5 so we’re not quite there yet. I tried to reread this book a few years ago and didn’t get far. I was surprised by its slow start. But it may have been my mood at the time. I loved it as a young guy. Maybe it’s good for after something like 9 or 10 or 11 or 12? Something like that? I’d like to try again some day. It’s a book that should be readable for all ages but it’s not exactly easy. You’re right about reading like this. The fact that I enjoyed it as a kid speaks to, I hope, my development as a reader and communicator (If I/as far as I do any of that well).

 

[snagstangl]

"Baby with a Mustache" is pretty good for that age.

 

[hawky454]

Good thread! My daughter turned 6 in Jan this year and I’m always excited to get her excited about books, I spend a lot of money on them and I do my best to lead by example.

Of course, I think my all time favorite is Dr. Seuss but I’ll share one of the new childrens books that I personally find very clever and fun to read.

Skippyjon Jones series by Judith Byron Schachner.

skippyjon jones - Google Search

www.google.com

 

[Arthur Frayn]

The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson ​

and for the slightly older child:​

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

 

[hawky454]

All good suggestions here! I grew up with Maurice Sendak and we read all his books to our daughter. They are timeless. The "Nutshell Library" is perfect for small hands and young minds. Same with Dr. Seuss. if you can still find an unaltered edition of "And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street", extra credit. The story was changed to make it more politically correct a few years back. I think that they changed "and a Chinaman who eats with sticks" to "And an ethnic Han person, born in China, who is a faithful Party member and runs his People's Fentanyl Factory #7 with dissident Uyghur slave labor". My copy came to my parents via their boss at work, who bought it for his kids not long after it was published. It's a first edition, but has had decades of childhood wonderment rubbed into it. Our daughter loved the Junie B. Jones series, and we still quote them often. "Madeline" is another wonderful children's book, one that stood up to hundreds of readings. "The Cunning Little Vixen" was also a favorite, and my wife and I read it to each other, years later.

Once they start reading on their own, there' a whole new world waiting for them.

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Funny you mention that one, my mom just passed that one down to my daughter, it’s the unedited version thankfully. The horror!



I also got this one from my mother (I could probably get prison time for owning this book)

 

[milk]

I would like to add that adults read me books above my reading level and I truly enjoyed those dame books when I was of age.

Nothing extreme mind you, but like being read a 4th grade level book while in 1st grade. And any unsavory parts would be edited by the reader which made for a suprise later (like with the pilot in Hatchet).

In other words, you don't necessarily need to limit options to their current reading level if reading to the kids (just make sure to read ahead a bit so appropriate "editing" can be made). This may provide more options (and be more entertaining for you).

That’s true. I was reading a novel to my five year old as he was falling asleep last week. It was just a descriptive passage from something - something about winter. I think it intrigued him because it had a mystery to it. “What is all this?” That’s what I imagined he was thinking as he drifted off. More likely he was thinking, “tomorrow there may be cookies.”

 

[shanez]

If ever there was an actual award for best thread this one would deserve nomination and consideration.

Not sure how many times I read this when I was young:

 

[Arthur Frayn]

I remember trying to read 'Ping the Duck' to my 3 year old at bedtime.

Ping, a domesticated, young duck swims away to experience the freedom of the vast Yangsee river- only to get tricked and captured to be eaten. A little boy sets him free and when he returns to his flock, he must learn to accept punishment. As must we all, when we transgress, I suppose.

I chose the book because it had been read to me and I considered it formative. When we got to the part where Ping gets punished by his owner, my son surprised me by completely rejecting the book. He reached over and gently closed the cover and said, " I dont want to finish this, Dad". It opened my eyes to the fact that some of the stuff that we consumed as children was kind of messed up.

 

[Pipeh]

My boys are 5 and 3 and of course I read a lot of books to them. I have to say that most books are so-so. My biggest complaint is that most authors of children’s books have something in mind that they want kids to learn. I find that tendentiousness pretty annoying. It keeps the work from being “art” IMHO. Few books transcend the genre to become truly memorable and worthy of admiration. One author that I think wrote really sublime books was Arnold Lobel. He authored and illustrated Toad and Frog as Well as Owl at Home. Others here might suggest some of their favorite children’s books that they think we should be reading to our kids?
Owl making “tear-water tea”:

Owl talking to the moon:

Owl wondering why he cannot be both upstairs and downstairs at the same time:

Mine are younger than yours, but I like some of the Moomin books.

And when they get older, I look forward to reading the Phantom Tollbooth, and books of Roald Dahl, and Daniel Pinkwater.

As far as newer offerings, I think there are some good ones out there, but of course all books are going to have themes and lessons to learn (or agendas if they aren't to your taste), because that's what people find interesting. I imagine that Lobell wanted kids to read Frog and Toad and learn to be kind and patient and enjoy life. Someone mentioned the Circus Ship - that's a newer book that I liked, but a cynic might say that it's painting a picture of business people as greedy, selfish and cruel. Anyhow, luckily with children's books, they're usually short enough that you can read the whole thing and decide whether it's appropriate for your kids.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

Some great books posted already. +1 for The Giving Tree and Where The Wild Things Are.

These are a few my kids enjoyed when they were that age :

 

[jeff540]

All these bring back memories, and are great suggestions. One I haven't seen mentioned thus far is "Under the Cherry Blossom Tree: An Old Japanese Tale"

 

[bullet08]

Don Camillo. I know it's not exactly a kid book, but Don Camillo books have brought me smile since I was 3rd grader. First book was a Korean translation. I still have that one. I brought it when I came to America. Then finally found an out of print omnibus sometime ago that I read when I need a warm stories between two friends who doesn't know they are friends. Yes, a bit heavy on political and religious satire, but that's the world we are living in.

 

[condorlover1]

Here is one I remember from the Lady Bird series growing up..

 

[condorlover1]

Here is one the Lady Bird series didn't publish...

 

[Arthur Frayn]

Danny, Champion of the World by Roald Dahl (for boys seven and older)

A very entertaining story about a widower and his son, Danny. Set in a rural English countryside,
the two of them skip school to work on cars and skylark through the woods- until Danny begins to suspect that there is more to his Dad than he at 1st thought. And a great adventure into a mystery begins.

 

[Zamora]

I really enjoyed Richard Scarry and Shel Silverstein growing up, the former even drew characters smoking pipes in older editions. One of the Scarry books I had featured a cob smoking farmer on the cover, you'd never see that nowadays

 

[greysmoke]

As a child (this was some time ago) a favorite was Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book ("This book is to be read in bed.") I pored over its pages every night.



But my hands-down favorite was this oddball:



To my six year old self, it was an indescribable mix of weird, funny, scary, upsetting -- things I felt, but couldn't understand. And every page was rich with fantasy material that had me daydreaming for hours. I lost a lot sleep because of that book. I read it again and again, until the cover nearly fell off.

I still have it. I wouldn't part with it. But, as it's jumbled somewhere in my bookshelves in the midst of floor refinishing, I'm just snagging a few pictures to give you a glimpse.

Caution: dangerous ideas ahead.

 

[MattRVA]

When I look back on the most influential books as a child I can’t help but consider my wildlife field guides. Field guides were a treasure to me and helped with many skills where details are involved. I’d highly recommend field guides, some kids are inclined to love them.

 

[huntertrw]

Here's a favorite: