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avatarJenny.eduguide
# of Thumbs Up Received (77)
Top 5 in: Discipline, Families and Relationships, Family Activities, Financial Aid for College, Growth and Development, Health and Wellness, Parenting Support, Parents and Schools, School Policy and Education Issues, Study Skills and Academics, Transitions and Readiness, Study Skills and Academic StrategiesTop 5 in 12 Topics

What is your absolute favorite book to read to your kids?

Or what did you love to read when you were a child?

I've only recently realized that my knowledge of children's books to young adult novels isn't nearly as extensive as I had originally thought. I'd love to find some more books to introduce to my kids. So let's share with each other!

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avatarAnonymous When my son was younger, his favorite book was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". He was also pretty fond of Shel Silverstein: "Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout" and "The Giving Tree" were among those stories frequently repeated at bedtime.

Now that he's a bit older, we share other personal favorites from my childhood: the "Fudge" books by Judy Blume ("Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing", "Fudge", "Superfudge", "Doublefudge") and the Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald Sobol.

References:
Mom of one wonderful third-grader
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avatarBridgette
# of Thumbs Up Received (41)
Top 5 in: Discipline, Families and Relationships, Growth and Development, Learning Styles, Manners and Values, Parenting Support, Parents and SchoolsTop 5 in 7 Topics		 I LOVE chlidren's books and young adult novels. I use my son as an excuse to read them. :D

My absolute favorite read-aloud novel is "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norman Juster.

Older books that I love:

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander (good read-aloud series of 5 books, kids can start reading them on their own around 9 or 10 depending on the skill of the reader)

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (a tear-jerker, late elementary, early junior high)

Anything by John Bellairs--especially for people who live in Michigan who like thrillers or supernatural stories.

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (and if you like that, she wrote several others)

From the Mixed-Up Tales of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (a late elementary, middle school novel)

The 13 Clocks by James Thurber; it's an exercise in the absurd, but he has a lovely sense of language and it is a great read-aloud book

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden


More current stuff:

"The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm," by Nancy Farmer is an awesome book set in a future Zimbabwe; her other books are good too.

The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan is a very fun Harry Potter-like series with Greek mythology as its main theme/device.

The Ransom of Mercy Carter by Caroline Cooney (this is an intense book with some very violent imagery; historical fiction)

The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (I also recommend the CD by the Gothic Archies filled with songs that go with each book)

The Call to Shakabaz by Amy Wachspress, this book can be hard to find as it was published by a small press, but it is a wonderful African-American epic fantasy novel

Triple Chocolate Brownie Genius by Deborah Sherman, a very amusing book that is good for middle school age

The King and Fire Chanter by Arran Wend is one of my favorite small-press books; its got original characters, great dialogue, fantastic & engaging plot and subtle lessons in history, linguistics, politics, and sociology

Emmy's Question by Jeannie Auth is a great book for kids dealing with a parent who has an addiction

Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse, good historical novel

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, this is my favorite book by this prolific author

The 39 Clues series by various authors; this isn't a great series, but it's entertaining and educational

There is the Inkheart series which I have mixed feelings about. I didn't care for the first book, but the next two were excellent and made reading the first one worthwhile.

Younger, picture books:

Anything by Tomie DePaolo
Anything by Patricia Polacco
Sector 7 by David Weisner, a fascinating book with no words
Anything by Eric Carle
Once Upon a Blue Moon
Dinner at Magrittes
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein (be prepared with tissues if you're old enough to remember 9-11)
The Talking Eggs by Robert SansSouchi, this is a folktale from the American South
Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe


There are many, many more. I get very excited about children's literature. :)

References:
Former publisher of BookHelpWeb, former category lead for Books at Epinions.com, and frequent judge for Small Publishers Association's Ben Franklin Awards
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avatarElizabeth.Johns
# of Thumbs Up Received (76)
Top 5 in: Choosing College, Discipline, Families and Relationships, Family Activities, Growth and Development, Health and Wellness, Learning Disabilities and Special Needs, Learning Styles, Parents and Schools, Safety, School Policy and Education Issues, Study Skills and Academics, Summer Learning and Camps, Teens and Jobs, Transitions and Readiness, Motivating StudentsTop 5 in 16 Topics		 When my kids were little, I loved to read them Mercer Mayer's Little Critter books. Dr. Seuss books are terrific read-alouds, too.

Our family did the first four Harry Potter books as read-alouds, then they just got too long to manage that way.

My daughter and I have discovered the American Girl books and are enjoying reading those aloud ( she's 6).

My absolute favorite book from childhood is Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. I also like Frances Hodson Burnett books like "A Little Princess" and "The Secret Garden." Surprisingly, my three boys all enjoyed these as read-alouds, even though they are considered "girl books."

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mom to three boys and a girl who all love reading
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