Monday, November 28, 2016

Current Children's Book Favorites

I always thought I would never tire of reading to my son, and for the most part that is still true. I know toddlers and little kids thrive on repetition, so I'm not surprised he gravitates toward the same books over and over. However, I must admit when we get to the fifth reading in a row, I very much do wish we could switch to something different! He does have many favorites though, so I really can't complain. I am so thankful my little boy enjoys stories, being read to, and (most of the time) snuggling up for this part of our day. So I thought I would share the most recent batch we -- sorry, he -- has on rotation.


Hippos Go Beserk! by Sandra Boynton
What's Wrong Little Pookie? by Sandra Boynton
One, Two, Three by Sandra Boynton
Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle & Jill McElmurry (Illus.)
I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak & Caroline Jayne Church (Illus.)
Zoom Buggy! by Claire Clark & Jay Jung (Illus.)


Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox & Helen Oxenbury (Illus.)
Little Blue Truck Leads the Way, by Alice Schertle & Jill McElmurry (Illus.)
We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury (Illus.)

Not pictured:
Five Little Ducks by Raffi and Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey (Illus.)

The first photo was actually taken a month ago, so the second photo shows additions since then. A few in the second photo, he honestly didn't care for at first. It's amusing to see him reject a book (translation: shut it mid-sentence) only to warm up to it later. I'm stubborn about expanding his repertoire though. I know he is protesting for no other reason than because the story doesn't sound familiar, so I just keep trying. Sometimes I read new books when he is more sleepy and agreeable to letting me choose our story. Other times, I sit in the rocking chair and read aloud while he plays in the same room. And plenty of times, a "rejected" book has become a new favorite. So I always try to remember that when I excitedly crack open a new book, only to have him pull it away, shut it, or declare "no, no, no!"

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If anyone has any children's book recommendations, I'd love to hear them! And I hope everyone celebrating had a lovely Thanksgiving :)

8 comments:

  1. Ah, you're at that joyous stage with your little one - read and repeat! I would like to say it's just a phase... But at 3 years old, Alexander still opts for the same books time and time again, but at least the specific books themselves change as they get older! We're Going On A Bear Hunt has been a firm favourite in our household since Alexander was tiny!

    I hope you're having a great week, Christine :-)

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    1. Thanks Jade! Yes, I agree that it is very good that the books do change every so often even if they are on repeat for a good period of time :)

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  2. My little guy doesn't have favorites. But he loves turning pages (way before I've finished reading what's on them) so really the only way I can get through an entire book is if he's playing next to me and only half paying attention. (Or maybe I'm kidding myself and he's not paying attention at all. But whatever, I'm still going to keep reading.)

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    1. I'm convinced they pay attention much more than we think they do. Except maybe when mine is being very noisy, then I'm fairly certain he's tuned me out. Though sometimes that a good reminder to me to just stop reading already and try to figure out if he's trying to tell me something! Whether or not I understand is another story altogether...

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  3. I love how he rejects books. hahahaha

    I am a big fan of all Mo Willems. :D

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    1. Oh, he's an opinionated little character alright :)

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  4. Hooray for Sandra Boynton! She's my favorite! (And hopefully she'll be my little guy's favorite too, since I don't think I'll mind reading hers over and over. He doesn't really show preferences yet, so I can get away with reading whatever I want!)

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    1. Hers are short and sweet, so having them on repeat isn't so bad. I really did love reading whatever I wanted to my son during that stage your son is in now, but it really is fun to see them start to show preferences -- someday yours will too! :)

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I'd love to hear what you think :)