we can’t get enough good books over here at our house! we always enjoy reading together and it’s fun discovering new books that become the kiddos favorites, too. here’s a list of a few we’re currently loving right now. would love any new suggestions you might have of favorites at your house in the comments below!
1. the curious garden by peter brown
this one has been a favorite of eleanor’s for a while now. it’s about a little boy who sees a garden needing attention and gives it just that. slowly, others begin to pay attention to their surroundings as well and the entire city that once was dark and colorless begins to bloom and grow! it’s a good read for learning more about your environment and taking care of our earth and home.
2. wolfie the bunny by ame dyckman
we got this book around the time baby conrad arrived. it’s a very cute read that touches on sibling rivalry with new babies in the home and also standing up for each other and loving each of our family members no matter what or who they are. the illustrations are a lot of fun, too.
3. edwina the dinosaur who didn’t know she was extinct by mo willems
i got this book from a sweet friend at my book themed baby shower for eleanor wayyyyy back in the day and remember reading through it for the first time and having a good giggle. eleanor wasn’t terribly into it the past few years but now, NOW! it’s requested by both eleanor and samson regularly. i think it’s the perfect book for their current ages and they think it’s so silly to say “reginald von hoobie-doobie!” but beware, you’ll want a plate of chocolate chip cookies after reading it. and your kids will too.
4. a sick day for amos mcgee by philip c. stead
this book has so many beautiful and meaningful messages in its pages (and gorgeous illustrations to match!) but one of my favorite take aways is the importance of taking care of and doing things for your friends or the people in your life who you love. it is a really sweet one.
5. dream animals – a bedtime journey by emily winfield martin
i have been the biggest fan of emily winfield martin’s work since her first etsy shop way back in the day! we still have one of her prints we bought when we first lived in harlem as newly weds hanging on our wall! anyway, this book is a great bedtime story all about imagining different dream animals. and of course the drawings on every page are just unreal. she’s one of my favorites.
more of our favorite children’s books HERE and HERE and a few of our favorite interactive books HERE. would love to hear any new recommendations you and your littles might be loving below!
I love seeing what your family is reading and enjoying, it brings back so many memories of my parents and grandparents reading to my sister and I as children. Such a precious thing to little ones to get lost in a book, and learn some lessons along the way!
i just love love love The Monster at the End of this Book starring Grover from Sesame Street. It seems like Eleanor and Samson would be at a good age to read it.
I just bought ‘If animals kissed goodnight’ for a 1 year old – it is super cute and sweet!!!
Gaston is SUCH an adorable kids book. I just bought it for my friend’s two year old. It’s an adorable story, with great illustrations all about pups!
(on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Gaston-Kelly-DiPucchio/dp/1442451025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429884926&sr=8-1&keywords=gaston)
What a cute post idea! My nephew loves ready, so I like to see what’s cool on the kids book market these days :)
xoxo Mollie
http://www.molliebellezza.com
Wolfie is the best! You absolutely must add The Bear’s Song by Benjamin Chaud and Henri’s Walk to Paris by Leonore Klein to your library. They are beautifully illustrated and sweet stories.
Gaston is my new favorite children’s book. So sweet it makes me tear up a little at the end. Check it out here:
http://www.amazon.com/Gaston-Kelly-DiPucchio/dp/1442451025
Sparky! by Jenny Offill is a really sweet book, and beautifully illustrated too! :)
We love Flotsam and Tuesday (David Wiesner). . .no words, but the pictures are amazing! My daughter sleeps with Flotsam almost every night. Also currently in love with Sleep Like a Tiger (Mary Logue)
you would love (mostly Eleanor) I Wish I Was a Butterfly. It’s gorgeous and such a good message for kids about being yourself!
My very favorite books as a child were by Rosemary Wells, they’re classic children books that are endearing and beautiful. Personal favorite is Yoko, about a young girl who is at first embarrassed by her Japanese culture but then makes a friend who loves her mother’s sushi!
My son is almost exactly Eleanor’s same age, he is really into the Elephant + Piggie Books from Mo Willems. He laughs and laughs and begs to read them over and over. His favorites of the series are “There is a bird on my head” and “We are in a book”
The Pete the Cat books are really fun, too! They have songs that you can download and go along with the books and the messages are good, too! We love “Pete the Cat and his four groovy buttons” and “Pete the Cat I love my white shoes”
I’m going to check out The Curious Garden, thanks for the recommendation! I love kids books!
We bought A Sick Day for Amos Mc Gee several years before actually having kids. I think we were shopping for a present for our friends’ baby and had a major crush on the story (it got me a little teary, right there in the bookstore) and the illustrations. It is now a staple in our expanded library and one of our son’s favorites as well.
Such cute picks –Hanna Lei
A Sick Day for Amos McGee is a phenomenal story. The illustrations in it are so beautiful that I would love to get a print of one and have it framed.
If your kids like books about gardens (and bugs!) we have recently enjoyed ‘Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt’ by Kate Messner. The illustrations are wonderful.
Check out William Bee’s ‘And the Train Goes’ for your little train lover.
Reading with kids is the best! Thanks for the recommendations. I am still tracking down your orchestra book. :)
I highly recommend Knuffle Bunny (and all the sequels) by Mo Willems. My daughter was born in NYC so all the photography of the city is wonderful. She can’t get enough of them. Happy reading xo
We love the Curious Garden too. We got it randomly from the library whilst we were living in San Diego, and then not long after visited New York and my daughter just love visiting the High Line after reading the book.
My son and I love Steam Train Dream Train and Goodnite Goodnite Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker. As a parent I love reading them because the words flow so well. My little boy also loves How To Train Your Train.
Sometimes I just prefered books withs nice illustration for my kids. Then I just invent a story with the images
I reccomend any books by illustrator Oliver Jeffers!
I’m a teacher and the young ones just love his books!
His style is so unique and he always partners with great
Authors who can really make you laugh! My personal
Favorite is The Day the Crayon Box Quit, as well as
Stuck, and This Moose Belongs to Me!
http://www.amazon.com/This-Moose-Belongs-Oliver-Jeffers/dp/0399161031
great selection! we’d love to read those but we don’t have them in Polish, maybe I should read them in English which would be a good way to teach my boy a new language :)
http://lifestylebyola.blogspot.com/
Wow, what a crew! It’s so nice that you spend time reading with your little ones. Definitely one of my favorite memories with my parents.
Thanks so much for sharing.
I’ve loved the Curious Garden for a few years now. I read it to my pre-k class every spring. I also agree with the couple of commenters who suggested Gaston. A good friend gifted it for my baby shower a few weeks ago and it is the sweetest book! I love the illustrations. Although, I might be a little biased since it stars my pet, a French bulldog!
I really love the book “rosie revere, engineer”.. can’t remember who wrote it, but it’s all about inventing and embracing failure as an opportunity to learn and improve. Great “girls can do anything” lesson, too!
I just put several of these on my library hold list. Thank you for the suggestions. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the books I love reading to my kids. Have you read Meet Me at the Moon? Love it. http://www.amazon.com/Meet-Me-Moon-Gianna-Marino/dp/0670013137
Also, since your kids seem to like silly Dragon/Dinosaur books, try Not Your Typical Dragon. My daughter (Sampson’s age) can’t get enough of it. Another good Dragon book is King Jack and the Dragon (love the illustrations in that one).
This is a good selection of books! If you love Dream Animals by Emily you should check out her second book, Day Dreamers!
Miss Hattie’s Amazing Garden by Shannon Richardson! Beautifully illustrated and provides children insight to the importance of respecting others and their contributions to society. Charming and captivating storyline!
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey for Eleanor
Jamberry by Bruce Degen for Samson
Babies by Gyo Fujikawa for Conrad
The Great Blueness by Arnold Lobel for Naomi and Josh
Love becomes brighter when we read together.
Lovely! The Dream Animals illustrations are beautiful!
Warm Regards,
Alexandra
http://www.littlewildheart.com
We love #2! Great book picks!
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