I’ll be posting information about the books by my favorite chidren’s writers. Please share yours as well, I’m gonna start with a Swidish Writer Elsa Beskow [1874-1953], I love her illustrated stories, children can learn about nature through these beautiful stories. Here are some of her story books.
I teach reading and LOVE books!!!!!!!!! It's one of my favorite topics! Whether its chapter books or picture books, I'm quite the bookworm. Here are my pics for children between ages 0-7.
Dr. Seuss books are a classic. My personal favorite is Horton Hatches the Egg.
Robert Munsch books. Robert Munsch understands the IRONY in the way kids think, so most of his books contain a surprise humorous twist at the end and cover issues that kids deal with such as not wanting to wear a huge jacket, hairstyles, not going to sleep, using the toilet, etc. Examples include, Thomas's Snowsuit, Mortimer, Stephanie's Ponytail, and Love You Forever.
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. This is an old-time classic that is still popular today with preschoolers and primary grade students. And the concept is so creative. And the illustrations are a treat. Kids and adults love the pictures of how Max's room transforms into a night forest!
William Steig books are another favorite classic that kids enjoy. They are entertaining, clever, and humorous. Examples include Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, The Amazing Bone, Dr Desoto (award winning).
Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard is another childhood favorite. Kids REALLY enjoy reading about the scary Viola Swamp, who is substituting for their teacher Miss Nelson, lol.
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes is a fun read. Chrysanthemum is sad because the students make fun of her name. Slowly, she begins to gain confidence with the help of her parents and teacher.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Yet another classic. Although the pictures are in black and white, students enjoy reading about Alex's complaints as he finally understands that bad days occur everyhwere, even in Australia of all places!
The Napping House by Audrey Woods. Kids** LOVE LOVE LOVE** this book. This book is contains light humor. And it is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT ON** RAINY DAYS!!!** And if you want your kids to go to sleep or simply calm down.......just dim the lights..........and read them this book. Don't be surprised if it puts you to sleep as well.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. A lighthearted pattern book about the demands a pet mouse will bug you with. Another good pattern book is The Mitten (classic) by Jan Brett.
Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin. Who wouldn't find a story about a bunch of cows using a typewriter to convey their complaints and demands to their farmer. An easy read and very entertaining.
Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom by Bill Martin Jr. A rhyming story about the alphabet letters. "A told B and B told C, I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree. Whee said D to E, F, G, I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree. Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom, will there be enough room?" Needless to say, kids found it very cathchy!
No, David. Also written by David Shannon. Kids ADORE this book. It's such an** EASY** read with simple words because the pictures do all the talking. Adorable David always gets into trouble but at the end of the day, his mom still loves him. Also try, David Gets In Trouble.
A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon. A girl is too embarrassed to share with her classmates that she enjoys eating lima beans. So she comes up with an excuse to stay home from school; she develops a bad case of stripes. Kids will LOVE this BRIGHT VIVIDLY COLORFUL book! BLINDINGLY COLORFUL!
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Szcieska. Another fun kids favorite. This humorous and simple read is from the WOLF"S point-of-view. You see, we always think of the Wolf as being the villain. But little did we know that the wolf was the innocent victim who only inconvenienced the 3 pigs for a cup of sugar to bake his granny a cake.
Often times kids are more exposed to fiction books and due to this they later struggle with comprehending non-fiction text. To avoid this problem, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to expose kids to non-fiction books as well. There are some books that combine fiction and nonfiction to teach kids facts in a fun way. Examples include Mr. Seahorse and A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle. There is also The Magic School Bus series and Pyramid series for older readers.
There are also several good-quality series books that kids enjoy such as Curious George, Amelia Bedelia, Madeline, Berenstein Bears (my childhood favorite), Frog and Toad, Clifford, etc. These series are of a more superior quality compared to the Disney tradebooks that you find in grocery stores such as the Little Mermaid and Strawberry Shortcake variety.
Many kids don't know their FAIRY TALES. And fairy tales, in my opinion, are an integral part of childhood literature for BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS. The reason i say this because you never know where and when you're gonna have to deal with fairy tales again. For example, a language arts teacher in middle school might ask students to take a classic fairy tale and put their own creative spin on it and write a short story. And also, many chapter books are based on a fairy tale foundations such as Ella Enchanted,etc. So, i would recommend buying a single book that contains a collection of fairy tales.
I hope that this information was helpful. I apologize for the long post because since I teach reading, I get a bit overzealous about book recommendations, lol. If your children are between the ages of 0-7, I strongly recommend that you read aloud to your kids. This is a simple strategy used by teachers in ALL grades, even MIDDLE/HIGH School/College. According to research read-alouds have numerous benefits for language/comprehension/brain development in children. It teaches them skills such as prediction, inferencing, cause and effect, literary patterns, fluency, finding the main idea, and encourages overall critical-thinking. And contrary to popular belief, the best way for kids to learn and build vocabulary is not through their school vocabulary workbook. It's actually developed through read-alouds and exposure to high-quality books/literature. So try out the books from the above list and ENJOY!!!!!!!!!
^ Redvelvet, I love your list!
Dr. Seuss books were my absolute favorite as a kid (age 2-4) and the silly language is a great way for kids to begin using the English language really creatively.
I also think Beatrix Potter's stories are wonderful--so innocent and give children a sense of wonder and appreciation for animals.
Once I started getting a little older (age 7-9), the Little House on the Prairie series was terrific--it's great for girls. It gives them a really interesting historical perspective of the US, but the books are also very wholesome and really illustrate the values of family and community that were very strong at that time. I was so obsessed with this series I had my mom sew me some pioneer style dresses that I wore to school each day---I realize now that I looked like a Mormon fundamentalist! :)
