My Top 5 Favorite Children's Picture Books

Hope you enjoyed the horror short “The Fence.”  The entire piece is now featured on the Short Fiction page, if you didn’t get a chance to read it.

I decided to lighten the mood this week by doing my first book review – of my favorite children’s books! My oldest is 3 ½, so for that long plus  5 months or so, I’ve been reading children’s books every day. Naturally, I’ve developed some favorites.

My criteria were simple. I wanted to feature books that share good messages, engage my kids, and are fun for me to read even after a hundred repetitions.
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Click on any of the covers to view or purchase the books on amazon.com.

Written/Illustrated By: Loren Long Publisher: Philomel Books

1. Otis          
Written and Illustrated By: Loren Long
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The message: Friendship is important! Take care of your friends.
Why my kids love it:

• Otis is a crazy tractor who can do all kinds of fun, acrobatic things that would turn real tractors to scrap metal!
• The illustrations are all fun, but the spindly little calf is especially amusing.
• The “putt, puff, puttedy chuff” lines. My kids say them with me in perfect time.

Why I love it:

• I grew up in a rural area so I love the farm and animal husbandry references.
• The illustrations are amazing. Sort of comic strip meets 1950's imagery.
• The “putt, puff, puttedy chuff” lines. Yep. I like to say them, too.
• The drama! “Who can save the little calf?” It hooks my kids and it hooks me, too!

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Written By: Robert Munsch Illustrated By: Sheila McGraw Publisher: Firefly Books

2. Love you Forever
Written By: Robert Munsch
Illustrated By: Sheila McGraw
 
Message: Family is important.
Why my kids love it:

• All the illustrations of toddlers and teenagers doing naughty things like flushing watches down the toilet and tipping over lamps gives them inspiration.
• The singing! My youngest even joins in from time to time.
• The “back and forth, back and forth” passages and the overall layout of the book that lets them get into a comfortable, expected rhythm.

Why I love it:

• Besides that it’s so sweet it gives me cavities and sad enough to make me cry every time? It’s one of my own childhood favorites.
• I’m a singer (or at least I once was) and this gives me an opportunity to add that into the reading.
• When my kids are wired, it puts them to sleep better than any other book. That is value, my friends.

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Written By: Dr. Seuss Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

3. Horton Hatches the Egg
Written and Illustrated By: Dr. Seuss
 
Message: Hard work and commitment should be rewarded.
Why my kids love it:

• Anything by Dr. Seuss is fun to hear!
• It’s another adventure story about an elephant who does a crazy thing by sitting in a tree and then gets captured and shipped to the states. He travels with the circus! And the egg cracking scene with the amazing hybrid animal is a clear winner!

Why I love it:

• It’s fun to read even when you’ve already read it 1,000 times. The rhymes flow and offer nice imagery even without the colorful pictures.
• The story lends itself nicely to character voices and volume changes that keep the kids engaged.

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Written By: Linda Ashman Illustrated By: Jane Dyer Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books

4. Babies on the Go
Written By: Linda Ashman
llustrated By: Jane Dyer
 
The message: Fascinating animals transport their babies in wild ways! And                                 yet, they are a lot like us.
 Why my kids love it: 

• The lyrical, rhymed lines are fun to hear.
• The illustrations are gorgeous and lifelike.

Why I love it:

• The lines are fun to read and I have them memorized, so when the bobbing heads of my children obscure the page, I can continue.
• It’s educational. They can name the animals for me and talk about the landscape of the photos (“He’s in the snow!” and “There’s a tree!”) It includes animals not traditionally found in children’s products such as anteaters and bearded dragons.​

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Written and Illustrated By: Don Freeman Publisher: Puffin Books

5. Corduroy
Written and Illustrated By: Don Freeman
 
The message: We all deserve to love and be loved, despite our “missing                                           buttons.”
Why my kids love it:

• It’s an adventure story about a stuffed bear! Come on! He gets himself into all kinds of exciting mischief in a department store when he comes to life! And he gets a home in the end. What’s not to love?

Why I love it:

• I loved it as a child for the same reasons they love it now. It’s enduring. (And endearing.)
• The illustrations really seem to put you in the story world. You can't help rooting for the little stuffed bear.

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Honorable mentions:

Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
Because I like a challenge!

Mr. Brown can Moo! Can you? by Dr. Seuss
Because there's always time for animal sounds.

What Makes a Rainbow? A Magic Ribbon Book by Betty Ann Schwartz
​Illustrated by: Dona Turner
Nothing engages kids like pop-ups, brightly-colored ribbons, and cute woodland animals. 

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* All cover photos are the property of the publisher. 
Did I overlook your favorite? Comment below or send me a message!
The kiddos and I always welcome new reading material!