# Best Books for Children? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811 "2011-04-26T19:23:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/21 "2011-04-27T16:58:44Z")
We have always read a lot to our three boys, and they all love books to one degree or another. I really don’t think it’s possible to start reading too soon. Have to admit, I hated _Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom_. Just annoyed me for some reason. Seconded (or thirded), though, as to heartily recommending Dr. Seuss (especially _The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, The Lorax_, and _Horton Hears a Who_), Sandra Boynton (_The Going to Bed Book, Pajama Time, Hippos Go Berserk_), Mo Willems (_Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny_), and of course Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd’s well-deservedly classic _Goodnight Moon_. I’d also recommend Rosemary Wells (the _Max & Ruby_ books, _Timothy Goes to School, Voyage to the Bunny Planet_, and, most appropriately for this thread, _Read to Your Bunny_), and Carol P. Saul and Mary Azarian (the charming rhyme/counting book _Barn Cat_). ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/22 "2011-04-27T18:19:04Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Get _Fox in Socks_ by Dr. Seuss. Read the damn book until you can recite most of it 30 years later. 😃 AND… When beetles fight these battles In a bottle with their paddles And the bottle’s on a poodle, And the poodle’s eating noodles, THIS is what they call A tweedle-poodle-beetle-noodle-bottle-paddle battle. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/23 "2011-04-27T18:36:04Z")
There’s a book called “No, David!” which is quite the hit among 3-5 year olds. My mom used to teach early childhood special ed and after that, pre-kindergarten, and she had to buy a new copy every year, because the kids liked it so much that it would get destroyed by the end of the year. > **[No, David!: David Shannon: 9780439129657: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/No-David-Shannon/dp/0590930028)** > > No, David! \[David Shannon\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. No, David! ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/24 "2011-04-27T18:45:00Z")
Assuming that you have friends and family, there’s no need to buy any books. People will give them to you as gifts and people with older children will give you stacks of books their children have outgrown. We read to our kids every day even though it was pointless in the beginning. It was just a soothing thing to do, for us and the kids. I think it paid off because by the time they were one year old they would demand to be read books all the time and they read constantly now. They didn’t start reading themselves especially early, but that was never our goal. We just liked reading to them. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/25 "2011-04-27T18:50:18Z")
I forgot; our son, especially, loves _Little Critter_ books. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/26 "2011-04-27T19:43:17Z")
Richard Scarry: Big board books with illustrated anthropomorphic animals in modern settings. Enid Blyton’s “Noddy” series are small short illustrated board books with simple stories suitable for youngsters. ---
**Author:** ![winneee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a88e4f/32.png) [@winneee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/winneee)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/27 "2011-04-27T20:01:45Z")
I have recently written one (in the process of trying to get published) and would happily send a complimentary copy if you would think it is something you would like 🙂 [www.thekidwholovedmacandcheese.com](http://www.thekidwholovedmacandcheese.com) Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/28 "2011-04-27T20:30:02Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I forgot; our son, especially, loves _Little Critter_ books. Oooh, yay! When I was little, I called these the spider and grasshopper books. “Mommy, read to me out of the spider and grasshopper book!” She was absolutely mystified; had no idea which book I was referring to. Turns out, the first few Little Critter books had a grasshopper and spider hidden in the rest of the illustration on pretty much every page. In typical little kid fashion, I’d focused on the stuff that in no way was central to the plot. I think the spider and grasshopper have been replaced by a mouse and a rabbit (or some such) in the newer books. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/29 "2011-04-27T20:48:47Z")
> [@winneee](#): > > I have recently written one (in the process of trying to get published) and would happily send a complimentary copy if you would think it is something you would like 🙂 > > [www.thekidwholovedmacandcheese.com](http://www.thekidwholovedmacandcheese.com) > > Congratulations! That looks adorable! I would love a copy and I do know a publisher who may or may not be interested. They are currently publishing a book written by my mother-in-law (with the audiobook being recorded in part by yours truly!) and I’d be happy to pass along a copy of your book for you. I will email my contact information to the email address on your website. ---
**Author:** ![winneee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a88e4f/32.png) [@winneee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/winneee)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/30 "2011-04-27T22:39:26Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > That looks adorable! I would love a copy and I do know a publisher who may or may not be interested. They are currently publishing a book written by my mother-in-law (with the audiobook being recorded in part by yours truly!) and I’d be happy to pass along a copy of your book for you. I will email my contact information to the email address on your website. Thanks! Any passing along would be much appreciated 🙂 I also wanted to mention that my son loved pretty much all the Kipper books, Jon Scieszka’s Trucktown series and Maisy. As mentioned previously, Mo Willems (anything pigeon, Knuffle or Elephant and Piggy) is great. I third (or fourth?) Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and highly recommend the ol’ favorite, Go Dog Go. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/31 "2011-04-28T04:17:37Z")
Just looked at our bookshelf, and I’ll also recommend: _Where’s Wallace?_ by Hilary Knight _George and Martha_ by James Marshall (just about all of his stuff is good!) _The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship_ by Arthur Ransome, illus. by Uri Shulevitz _Curious George_ by Margret & H.A. Rey _Blueberries for Sal_ and _Make Way for Ducklings_ by Robert McCloskey _George Shrinks_ by William Joyce ---
**Author:** ![I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19adc/32.png) [@I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Am_The_Lorax)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/32 "2011-04-30T15:39:34Z")
Todd Parr Lucy Cousins Sandra Boynton Mercer Mayer Maurice Sendak Richard Scarry Beatrix Potter Eric Carle Jamberry by Bruce Degen A.A. Milne Astrid Lindgren Frog and Toad The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf Shel Silverstein Robert Munsch William Steig and of course, Dr. Seuss Todd Parr (Otto books) and Lucy Cousins (Maisy books) are great for babies because of the sweet, simple language and bold colors and pictures. Some I remember titles of but not authors names: Puppies Are Like That Wednesday Is Spaghetti Day The Little Duck Doctor Rabbit (My mom read this to me when I was sick and now I read it to my kids, and sometimes I still get Mom to read it to me when I get sick.) The 300 Pound Cat Gregory the Terrible Eater ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/33 "2011-04-30T17:59:48Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Classic: > -Goodnight Moon (I have a pet theory that this book has been read cover-to-cover more times than any other book in human history) I try to keep some variety in the picture books I read to my two-year-old daughter at bedtime, just for my own sanity. Still, she has to have _Goodnight Moon_ every night. I typically read her a “monkey story” or a “sooth” (_Curious George_ or Dr. Suess) and then when she demands _Goodnight, Moon_, the lights go off, her head hits the pillow, and I recite it from memory. _Goodnight, Moon_ has made enough of an impression that she often turns to the blank endpapers of her other books and annunciates: “Nobody!” All of my toddler essentials have already been enumerated here. (Would like to underline _Guess How Much I Love You_ as a really nice bedtime read.) We’ve gotten a huge amount of mileage out of _Hide and Seek First Words_, which is a nice photography collection of tableaus of objects arranged thematically. This is awesome from the time that language-acquisition starts until… well, I don’t know, since she still loves it at 27 months. It’s been great for everything from basic identification of objects, to learning colours, and learning to count. For older kids (6-7) you really _have_ to read a nicely translated and illustrated version of Collodi’s _Pinocchio_, and Lewis Carroll’s Alice books before they’re exposed to the Disney versions, ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811/34 "2011-04-30T19:35:33Z")
Here’s a list of important children’s books: > **[childrensbooksguide.com](http://childrensbooksguide.com/top-100)** > > Big Books for Children By the time your child is 10 (or maybe even earlier), they will have outgrown these books, but then your child hasn’t even been born yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-for-children/579811.md?page=1)