Our Reading List

So the Washington Post came out with a special kids' book section on Sunday and I was all excited to check it out.  K. is a really huge fan of being read to, which pleases me since I'm no good at math.  Just kidding.... sort of.  (I did tell his grandma that she would have to teach him counting since I have no interest!)  Anyway, I was hoping to find some good tips but was a little disappointed in the meager selection for the 2-and-under set.  It did, however, inspire me to create my own little Top 10 list of our favorite books in hopes that it can be a reference to some of you looking to build upon your home libraries.

10. Tails by Matthew Van Fleet (Lots of animal tails to touch and feel; perfect for little fingers)

9.  A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer (One-year-olds may get a little impatient with the pictures-to-words ratio, so I often make up my own story which works well at this point. But they will LOVE to see the fish grow and grow...)

8. Chicken Bedtime is Really Early by Erica S. Perl (If I ever launch my secret dream career of writing children's books, I will use this one as a model.  It's entertaining for the kiddies and parents alike.)

7. DOG by Matthew Van Fleet (What can we say ... we love this guy's work!)

6. Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman (This is another favorite author/illustrator)

5. MOMMY? by Maurice Sendak (It's a pop-up book that we love.  However, this one's not for the faint at heart for two reasons: potentially scary pictures and lots of intricate cut-outs which he's already managed to tear up in two places.  Still, those are the reasons he just can't get enough of this book, and it's always a relief when we get to the happy ending!)

4. The Napping House by Audrey Wood (This was a sleeper... no pun intended... I was surprised he liked this one as much as he did, but I think it has something to do with the repetition and the imagery.  In any case, we read it almost every day.)

4. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle (This one ties with #8 as Mom's favorite.  It's got it all... great pictures, clever rhymes, and - of course - a moral that we can all learn from.)

3. Pajama Time! by Sandra Boynton (At first this one really annoyed me, but over the course of the last 6 months I've come to understand why these silly Boynton books are so popular.  I'm totally into it now, and he can't read it too many times.)

2. Trucks by Byron Barton (This one comes in a very close 2nd due to the fact that he can. Literally. Read. It. Over. And. Over. Again.  I have no idea what it is about this book, but he is crazy about it!)

1. Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman (Still the hands-down champ... see 4/15/08 post)