I love children’s books. As a general rule, they are short and simple with beautiful messages. Some of them are fables with moral lessons at the end. All of them have arresting illustrations that remind you life can be playful and colorful, and we don’t always have to focus on “adult” concerns. The real magic lies in having a child to read children’s books to. When you see how captivated they are by the book, you fall under the spell, too.
I’m sad that my daughters are old enough now that we don’t read their favorite children’s books much anymore. But that doesn’t mean your child can’t enjoy them! Below, find a list of recommended reading (and why) for your early reader, based on the children’s books we loved in our household.
Children’s books remind you life can be playful and colorful.
STREGA NONA by Tomie dePaola
Tomie dePaola (1934-2020) was a classic children’s book author and illustrator. No one else drew like him; you know his work when you see it. The button eyes, exaggerated facial features, soft expressions, and pastel colors of his characters and scenes mark a dePaola work immediately. As an Italian American, dePaola captured the Italian culture of my childhood perfectly. His Strega Nona, who endures on the page, is just like my grandmother was. Although it contains a lot of text for a children’s book, it nevertheless held my attention as a girl, and later engrossed my girls.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak
One of the more popular books on this list, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE was originally published by Harper & Row (now HarperCollins) in 1963. Since then, it’s been adapted for film several times, most recently in 2009. Unlike STREGA NONA, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is exceedingly simple word-wise, containing just one sentence per page. Often, these sentences include repetition and rhyming, perfect for kids just learning to read. What it lacks in text, it makes up for in rich illustrations that do much of the story’s heavy lifting. Sendak’s illustrations include fine pencil drawings with shading and iconic detailed faces; everyone knows the monster with the mane and row of triangle teeth as he starts out scary but becomes, by the end, heartwarming. The way the wild things “dance” across the pages gives readers permission to become their own “wild things” alongside main character Max.
THE GIVING TREE by Shel Silverstein
An accessible introduction to concrete poetry, Silverstein’s THE GIVING TREE relies on the shape the words take on the page to add further layers of meaning to an already-moving message about friendship, money, and growing old. All the intentional white space, paired with stark black-and-white illustrations, is like a breath of fresh air in a world that bombards us with too much information most of the time. On the surface, the story is about a little boy and his relationship to a tree. We watch as the boy’s priorities change over time and his life of simplicity becomes complicated by his hunger for money, which ultimately does not buy him happiness. If this sounds a little dark, know that it all ends up okay. As an old man, the main character returns to a state of child-like simplicity—a full-circle moment that appeals to this former social worker once employed in a hospice setting (me 😉). Alternatively, you can opt for Topher Payne’s parody THE TREE WHO SET HEALTHY BOUNDARIES which might be more suited for today’s woke culture and enlightened parenting.
THE GIVING TREE honors childlike simplicity.
Honorable Mentions
Give these books a shot if you are looking for something new to read to your little one:
GOODNIGHT MOON by Margaret Wise Brown
The MISS NELSON Collection by Harry Allard and James Marshall
THE KISSING HAND by Audrey Penn – my daughter’s favorite! To this day, she asks me to kiss her hand when she goes to sleep or leaves on a big trip.
THE STORY OF FERDINAND by Munro Leaf – a classic in our household. Grandpa read the book when he was little in the 1940’s. It’s still a great book today that hasn’t aged much.
THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT by Drew Daywalt – one of the funest and funniest books of all time. I still crack up when I read it.
And of course, don’t forget to add my tooth-fairy-themed children’s book UNDER MY PILLOW to your cart!
