**I second Knuffle Bunny**

Books I've given to babies that have gone over well (that haven't already been mentioned):

I'm Not Cute! by Jonathan Allen

Matthew Van Fleet's touch-and-feel boardbook Dog

DK Publishing's 'touch-n-feel' board books like Touch and Feel: Farm

Lots of Dr. Seuss!

Mo Willem's Pigeon board books

I was surprised that What Do You Do With a Tail Like This went over so well, I thought it would appeal to the adults more than the kids because of the illustrations.

The Red Book is fun and interesting for when he gets a little older.

edit in: Oooh, when he's a little older, David Weisner's books are great! Flotsam is the latest, I think.

And who's the one who did the Golem? *goes off to Google* David Wisniewski.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Weeble,

okay, you have to get guess how much i love you because every child should be told on every possible occasion that they are loved.

and its a very very sweet book, sweetly illustrated.

Oh yes! I second Weeble's mention of the Pigeon books especially: Please Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! It's adorable.

I quite liked Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, although I only read it quite late - before that I mainly saw it on telly. Also, this being Switzerland, no kid got around Heidi by Johanna Spyri. My favourite books were the ones by Michael Ende, though - Momo and Neverending Story (maybe from about 5 years old). I'm not sure how many of these books are actually available outside of Europe, though.

the moomins

i love childrens books

and the lump went grump

quote:

Originally posted by Ava:

Get the Serendipity books if you can find them. My sisters fondly remember me buying Leo the Lop for them.

ohmygoodness i'd forgotten all about those! I read those too when i was a kid!

not familiar with Childcraft encyclopedias. Will look into that.

the others you mentioned, i know and have on my list.


(also looking into the others recommended on this page. Thanks guys!)

Frog and Toad Are Friends

Nail Soup

The Church Mice books.

And I second Weeble's "lots of Doctor Seuss".

when you say the Church Mice books, do you mean the ones with Humphrey and arthur and the cat (whose name i forget) who wouldn't actually kill the mice? because those are AWESOME. http://www.peakirkbooks.com/si/71006.html

graham oakley wrote them and they are, without exception, wonderful.


i also loved The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea when i was little. full of adventure but no real danger for the two children involved. just enough to thrill a small one.

i have a book that i used to read every single time i was sick or couldn't sleep or had a nightmare. it was called Nicky and his Forest Friends, and it seems to be out of print and almost impossible to get hold of now, but it was *wonderful*

this link has a few pics from the book, just to give a hint of its utter beauty.

quote:

Originally posted by Limertilly:
i also loved The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea when i was little. full of adventure but no real danger for the two children involved. just enough to thrill a small one.

I love this book! I didn't read it until about 8 years ago - well past childhood!


(bolding mine)

Cheers, MoM! Didn't expect to see you pop in

My list keeps growing!

quote:

Originally posted by Limertilly:

i have a book that i used to read every single time i was sick or couldn't sleep or had a nightmare. it was called Nicky and his Forest Friends, and it seems to be out of print and almost impossible to get hold of now, but it was *wonderful*

looks like 2 sellers on Amazon.com have it

I second Where the Sidewalk Ends. I have my 30 year old copy on my bookshelf.

When I was in grade school, my school library had a bunch of baseball books by John Christopher that I really enjoyed.

Dianna Wynne Jones also had a significant effect on my childhood reading habits.

oh, i had not heard of John Christopher. Those look like books i'd read too.

quote:

Originally posted by Limertilly:

...Church Mice books...graham oakley wrote them.

Yes. Those. They're uneven, in my opinion, but some of them are fantastic. The Fistmas one's the topper, I think.

quote:

Originally posted by daysleeper[chickie]:

Cheers, MoM! Didn't expect to see you pop in

I read a book about sushi, once, too. I'm all about "know your enemy".

*shrugs*

And I like a good story. Sue me. For a good story, I'm a little whore.

Up until about 4: anything that can be read within a fairly short space of time. Rhymes help, also beautiful or funny illustrations (for your benefit as much as his, because you will be looking at them a hell of a lot).

So I'd second The Very Hungry Caterpillar, plus almost anything else written and illustrated by Eric Carle. I really like his graphic style, plus quite a few of his books come in chunky small board book format, and have surprises built in (like a chirping sound at the end of The Very Quiet Cricket, or lights at the end of The Very Lonely Firefly).

Actually, at this age, if a book you like is offered in regular format or board book format, go for the board book option. Kids can get enthusiastic about books - or cross about them - and the sturdier they are, the better. For the same reason, be a little wary of books with a zillion flimsy flaps. (Mine wasn't either a ripper or a scribbler, thank god, but I've known plenty of kids who were, much to the dismay of their parents.) Also avoid those huge compilations, eg: all the Thomas the Tank Engine stories in one giant volume. The single little books are easier and nicer for both of you. Also avoid the 'special editions' of books - ones where a picture has been replaced by a jigsaw, and so on - as you will lose all the bits and it will end up being a royal pain.

Also almost anything by Lynley Dodd, who writes the Hairy McLairy and Slinky Malinki books - short, funny, lots of repetition, great illustrations, and tolerable enough for you not to want to jump out of a window at Reading Number 4,539. Also come in board book format.

Almost anything written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler: The Gruffalo is probably their most well-known. Also Room on the Broom, and Charlie Cook's Favourite Book, and A Squash and a Squeeze are all great. Possibly my favourite, The Smartest Giant In Town rather weirdly appears on Amazon as The Spiffiest Giant in Town. Some also available in board book form. Funny and clever, and the illustrations have so much in them.

Yes to the Ahlbergs - as well as their stuff for very little kids they do biggger kid chapter books, too.

I cannot tell you how many times I have been required to read Green Eggs and Ham. It's a good one.

Tony Ross: short, funny, non-rhyming books: Don't Do That! (about not picking your nose), Oscar Got The Blame and so on. These are the very opposite of saccharine, which is why I love them.

Also very far from saccharine is the wonderful David McKee - Not Now Bernard should be required reading for parents, never mind the kids. Also wonderful are The Conquerors and Who's A Clever Baby Then?, as well as the Elmer books.

A few others I love, at the older end of this range:
Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type- Doreen Cronin and Betsey Lewin.
Slow Loris - Alexis Deacon.
A Winter's Tale - Marcus Sedgewick and Simon Bartram.
That Pesky Rat - Lauren Child (who also does the wonderful Charlie and Lola books).
The Tiger Who Came To Tea - Judith Kerr (who also did the Mog books, as well as her memoir for much older children When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit).
Lulu and the Flying Babies - Posy Simmonds (a comic strip book, so a little more difficult to read aloud, as is the wonderful...)
The Puddleman - Raymond Briggs.

I'll go on to chapter books for slightly older kids in a separate post, I think.

quote:

The Tiger Who Came To Tea - Judith Kerr (who also did the Mog books, as well as her memoir for much older children When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit).

yes! yes! a thousand times yes! HE DRINKS ALL THE WATER IN THE TAP!

I had no idea it was the same author as When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit!

quote:

Originally posted by The Scoundrel:
I'll second Sanrda Boynton. The Going to Bed Book, especially.

At a couple months old, my daughter loved the touch and feel books. There was one for kittens that we couldn't read enough to her. Also, this tag book. Neither are much in the way of stories, but for her at that age, it was pretty much all about sensory.

Ditto for both of these. We got them for M as some of her first books. Speaking of books, M and Rae have finished book time and it's time for me to put her to bed. I'll get back to this soon.

Also in the 'good for real tinies' section are the Buggy Buddies - tiny board books which attach to a stroller. My kid loved fiddling with these when we were out and about. You only need a couple, max - just leave them on the buggy.

quote:

Buggy Buddies

I read that as Bunny Budgies and was really disappointed when I clicked the link. Although Rocket Bear is pretty cool.

A personal thing - I truly dislike those so-called books that are really electronic binkabinka noise creators. Kids press the buttons and annoying sounds come out and then they discard them and never return to them. I just think that kids get more out of the whole experience if you have them on your lap and make silly noises at them.

An online friend (from another board, waaaaay back when I first got on the net) demanded that I get If You Give A Mouse A Cookie and Devlin still reads that book now or likes me to read it at bedtime.