Favorite Books for Kids
November 30, 2006 by dgage
Do you the children in your life have too many toys already? Get them books for Christmas! The latest issue of WORLD lists some of the favorite books of WORLD writers and friends. Some of the most often mentioned picture books 
were: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel, and Curious George by H.A. Rey. One list included The Tale of Three Trees by Angel Elwell Hunt. A friend gave me this book recently (I had never heard of it before), and I have to admit that I cried the first time I read it to my boys!
Some of the chapter books listed were: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Here’s my own personal favorite list:
Picture Books
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
- On Grandaddy’s Farm by Thomas B. Allen
- A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert
Chapter Books
- The Cricket in Times Square by E. Nesbit
- The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary (and all the other books by Cleary about Ramona, Henry, and Ralph—the mouse)
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge (This was my most favorite books as a child and I’m surprised to not see it on anyone’s favorites list)
Please post or reply and share some of your favorites with us!
I agree with The Legend of the Three Trees. It is a great tale.
Here are some of my favorites for the Christmas season:
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
(Candlewick Press)
The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg
(Zonderkidz)
These are geared for probably 4-5 year olds, but my almost 3 year old twins sit still as stones as I read these to them and are getting the lessons learned. I pulled out a candy cane today and my daughter was able to tell me what she knew of it. I read it for her for the first time yesterday.
Another good book is The Christmas Story with pictures illustrated by James Bernardin (the illustrator for The Legend of the Candy Cane…see above). This book is in the KJV. The pictures are so well done that your children will SEE the joy on the shepherds face and the happiness of Joseph and Mary. It is a “must have” for your young children. This is offered through HarperCollins Publishers.
As for other great children’s literature. That’s a whole other post. I have scads I could write down.
Books are stimulating to the mind and to the spirit. Toys… are everywhere.