Our Favorite Children’s Books
Reading is crucial to your child’s development. It is never too early to start! Here are our favorite children’s books for all ages:
0-24 Months:
Goodnight Moon By Margaret Wise Brown
In this classic of children's literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a perfect book for the end of the day.
Pat the Bunny By Dorothy Kunhardt
For generations, Pat the Bunny has been creating special first-time moments between parents and their children. One of the best-selling children’s books of all time, this classic touch-and-feel book offers babies a playful and engaging experience, all the while creating cherished memories that will last a lifetime.
Little Red Barn By Ginger Swift
Introduce your baby or toddler to life on the farm and barnyard animals including cows, horses, bats, and cats in this adorable lift-a-flap board book. Simple sentences reinforce future language structure while grasping and lifting the sturdy flaps helps develop fine motor skills. A perfect first book!
Dear Zoo By Rod Campbell
Young readers love lifting the flaps to discover the animals the zoo has sent-a monkey, a lion, and even an elephant! But will they ever find the perfect pet? With bright, bold artwork, a catchy refrain, and a whole host of favorite animals, Dear Zoo is a must for every child's bookshelf.
Peek-A Who? By Nina Laden
One of Scholastic Parent & Child magazine's 100 Greatest Books for KidsWith colorful pictures, simple rhyming texts, and sized right for small hands to hold. Guessing-game board book filled with vibrant, happy images: Peek-a-Who! takes the most loved baby and toddler game and puts it in book form!
2-4 Years:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carle
The brilliantly innovative Eric Carle has dramatized the story of one of Nature's commonest yet loveliest marvels, the metamorphosis of the butterfly.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom By Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault
In this lively alphabet rhyme, all the letters of the alphabet race each other up the cocunut tree. Will there be enough room? Oh, no - Chicka Chicka Boom! Boom! The well-known authors of Barn Dance and Knots on a Counting Rope have created a rhythmic alphabet chant that rolls along on waves of fun. Lois Ehlert's rainbow of bright, bold, cheerful colors makes the merry parade of letters unforgettable.
Happy Hippo, Angry Duck By Sandra Boynton
Bestselling author Sandra Boynton is back in this all-new board book about moods. Boynton's clever animals exemplify a wide range of emotions in this hilarious story about different feelings. Young readers are sure to giggle as interactive text asks them if they are "grumpy as a moose or excited as a dog?" Maybe they're "worried as a rabbit or contented as a frog?”
Silly Sally By Audrey Wood
Dance a jig with a silly pig. Play leapfrog with a silly dog. And that's just the beginning of all the fun! Come along and join Silly Sally and her outrageous friends as they parade into town in a most unusual way.
Harold and the Purple Crayon By Crockett Johnson
One evening Harold decides to go for a walk in the moonlight. Armed only with an oversize purple crayon, young Harold draws himself a landscape full of wonder and excitement. Full of funny twists and surprises, this charming story shows just how far your imagination can take you.
Going on a Bear Hunt By Michael Rosen
Come along on a bear hunt in this award-winning classic from Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. We’re going on a bear hunt. We’re going to catch a big one. Will you come too? For more than twenty-five years readers have been swishy swashing and splash sploshing through this award-winning favorite. Join in the fun!
Little Blue Truck By Alice Schertle
" Neigh!" said a horse. "Quack!" said a duck. "Beep!" said the friendly Little Blue Truck. Little Blue Truck is a joyful cacophony of animal and truck sounds that will have youngsters beeping and quacking—and begging for one more go-round!
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
By Richard Scarry The pigs are off to the beach for a picnic but Dingo Dog is around and he is driving terribly Officer Flossy is going to give him a ticket - if she can catch him This is just the beginning of a mad chase involving cars, planes, boats and even diggers.
5-7 Years:
When Grandma was a Kid By Katie Siddens
Share fun, nostalgic stories of what it was like to be a kid before cell phones and iPads and Amazon. Experience Grandma’s memories through the eyes of her granddaughter and laugh along at her reactions to using a typewriter, riding in a station wagon, being called home by a dinner bell and more! When Grandma was a Kid is a fun way to help kids learn about a different generation and draw families closer together. Use it to spark conversation over memories, experiences and stories of your own family and community.
Where the Wild Things Are By Maurice Sendak
When Max dresses in his wolf suit and causes havoc in the house, his mother sends him to bed. From there, Max sets sail to an island inhabited by the Wild Things, who name him king and share a wild rumpus with him. But then from far away across the world, Max smells good things to eat...
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day By Judith Viorst
Alexander knew it was going to be a terrible day when he woke up with gum in this hair. And it got worse... His best friend deserted him. There was no dessert in his lunch bag. And, on top of all that, there were lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV!
If you Give a Mouse a Cookie By Laura Numeroff
This book is a great first introduction to Mouse, the star of the If You Give... series and a perennial favorite among children. With its spare, rhythmic text and circular tale, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is perfect for beginning readers and story time!
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! By Mo Willems
When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place-a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate.
Fancy Nancy By Jane O’Connor
Meet Nancy, who believes that more is ALWAYS better when it comes to being fancy. From the top of her tiara down to her sparkly studded shoes, Nancy is determined to teach her family a thing or two about being fancy and using fancy words. How Nancy transforms her parents and little sister for one enchanted evening makes for a story that is funny and warm—with or without the frills.
8-12 Years:
The Giving Tree By Shel Silverstein
Since it was first published fifty years ago, Shel Silverstein's poignant picture book for readers of all ages has offered a touching interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid TalesBy Jon Scieszka
The entire book, with its unconventional page arrangement and eclectic, frenetic mix of text and pictures, is a spoof on the art of book design and the art of the fairy tale. The individual tales, such as The Really Ugly Duckling and Little Red Running Shorts, can be extracted for telling aloud, with great success.
Miss Nelson is Missing By Harold Allard
The kids in room 207 don't know how lucky they are to have a nice teacher like Miss Nelson - until their misbehavior causes her disappearance, and they get Miss Viola Swamp for a substitute.
National Geographic Kids Books By National Geographic
Did you know that a great white shark can weigh as much as 15 gorillas, that you drink the same water as the dinosaurs did, or that there’s a car that drives underwater? This supersized, hardcover is packed with over 1,000 amazing facts and eye-popping photos that prove truth really is stranger than fiction. This stunning book will give kids a winning combination of smarts and fun.
Magic Tree House By Mary Pope Osborne
Where did the tree house come from? Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark...or will they become a dinosaur’s dinner?