My Favorite Children's Books, Part I
My daughter with our bookshelf, already overflowing a year or so ago.
As one of my friends says, "I have a children's book problem." It is one of the biggest contributors to my Amazon Prime problem (I'm not the only one, right?).
And yet - I'm also #sorrynotsorry, because I think that books are such a key part of our family's life. The research is clear that reading to kids every day is key to their academic achievement and that consistent bedtime routines (which can include reading!) are crucial for kids to have healthy sleep habits. In addition, I believe that stories and the written word are one of the best ways to tackle tough issues with kids and help them learn about how to be a good human being.
So, here's the first in what I imagine will be a series of posts about my favorite children's books. I would love to hear about your must-haves in the comments!
I also have this free list of great children’s books to celebrate diverse types of love for Valentine’s Day!
Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
This is a great book that helps kids understand how their actions can "fill" someone's bucket (when they are kind) or "dip from" someone's bucket (when they are not kind). After reading this book just one time, Brooklyn began to use the language to talk about how we were treating each other. I enjoy the chance to remind her in the morning, "Be sure to fill lots of buckets today!"
Your Body Belongs To You
This book is great for teaching children about consent at an early age. It helps them understand that they are in charge of their own bodies, and they do not have to be involved in physical touch that they do not want. It normalizes that even with people you love you do not always want a hug or a kiss or a tickle. The book gives specific language that kids can use - "Not right now, please" to help them have strategies to advocate for themselves.
My Princess Boy
This great read is a call for an end to bullying and an end to forcing kids to fit into society's stereotypes instead of just being themselves. It helps kids empathize with those who behave outside of more traditional gender expressions and normalizes letting kids be who they are.
We're Different, We're the Same
If I had a dollar for every time we have read this book in our home, I'd be pretty wealthy at this point. This is a Sesame Street book that beautifully describes how we are different and the same. It touches on many topics and explains, for example, how different our noses and skin and hair and feelings are across different people (and friendly monsters), while also describing how similar those things are at the same time (even when they look different, those parts serve the same purpose across all of us). The pages are chock-full of images that keep my kids engaged and asking questions about all of the things they find.
Toot
This one is a really fun book that I am pretty sure every child will enjoy - it's a simple book about tooting. Our family's favorite line is "Toot toot toot - I'm a train!".
And Tango Makes Three
This was given to me by a dear friend - it's a true story about two male penguins in captivity who became partners and incubated an egg until it hatched into a baby penguin - Tango! The illustrations are fun, and it's a beautiful story about nature and love.
A is for Activist
This was given to me by four different people at various points in our early parenting journey. Clearly, people think it's in our wheelhouse. They are right. We love this simple book teaching kids about making positive change in the world.
The Paper Bag Princess
Friends recommended this book to us, and I'm grateful: we now own it in both paperback and board book versions. It's about a princess who cleverly and bravely rescues herself and her future husband from a dragon, with a bit of a twist at the end.
If you could only keep a handful of childrens' books in your library, which would you choose?
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