10 Amazing Children's Books

Even though we have a bookcase full of children’s books, we end up reading the same rotation over and over. (Does that happen with you, too?) “I like to read before bed,” Toby told me this morning. “About three stories is a good amount so you don’t fall asleep. I also like to read when I’m mad and got in a fight with Anton because it calms me down. It feels good, it’s like ahhhhh.” So, this morning, I thought I’d round up our 12 current favorites…

The Z Was Zapped. “There’s no such thing as a T that was tied or V that was vanishing! That’s so funny. The Z gets zapped, but that would never happen.” — Anton

Jabari Jumps. “So, Jabari is scared to jump at first and then he does it. I like his goggles.” — Toby

Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing. “This book is funny because the animals have to wear clothes and it doesn’t work.” — Toby

Spoon. “Spoon is sad because he thinks his friends are spectacular but he’s not really spectacular. His mom says, ‘But you can dive into a bowl of ice cream!'” — Anton

Alexander and Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. “Alexander gets gum in his hair, and that’s funny. It’s also frustrating. You could read this if you have a bad day and it will make you feel better.” — Toby

New Red Bike. “Tom gets a new red bike but Sam steals a ride. Tom gets mad, and Sam says, ‘Sorry, Tom.’ Then they take turns.” — Toby

The Wolf, The Duck & The Mouse. “The duck and the mouse live inside the wolf’s belly. They eat cheese and light candles. That is so silly.” — Anton

The Water Hole. “There’s no water and all the animals go away. And then the rain goes drip drip drip drip drip drip and there’s more water. And then animals come back. I’ve read this book since I was a baby.” — Anton

Along a Long Road. “My uncle gave me this when I was maybe two.” — Toby

Waiting. “I like this story because these characters are doing all what I want to do, like looking at the moon or flying a kite or waiting for someone special to come.” — Toby

Thank You, Octopus. “The octopus is always like, oops, sorry!” — Toby

Madeline. “We read this so much that now Mommy can say the whole thing without even looking at the words.” — Anton

We also mentioned a few other favorites here, but since they are still going strong, I thought I’d mention them again…

Tía Isa Wants a Car. “We read this one at the library so much that I got a copy for my birthday. Tía Isa saves up for a car. She gets either a Dodge Dart from the 1970s or a Ford Mustang Convertible from the 1960s, I’m not really sure.” — Toby

The Baby Tree. “The grandpa makes a funny mistake: He thinks babies come from storks. But you find out in the book where babies really come from.” — Toby

Harold’s Hungry Eyes. “Harold the dog is always hungry. The whole city looks like food. The bus is cheese, and the water tower looks like a mini muffin. The trash is a cookie!” — Anton

Thoughts? What children’s stories are you loving these days? There are so many beautiful ones!

P.S. Great children’s books with female characters and characters of color.

(Photo by Stella Blackmon for Cup of Jo.)

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