Favorite Books - Part 1

I've always loved children's books. There's something about them - the art, the stories, the lessons - that just makes me feel good inside! (Or maybe it's because I get to cuddle with my girls on our reading bench while we read them!) I love collecting children's books and love checking out books at the library and even buying them at the library book sales. And preschool has given me a good excuse to get some more that have been on my list! But I don't like to buy books just to buy books. I'm pretty picky about the ones I want on our shelves. Anyway, this post probably isn't interesting to anyone but me, but I wanted to post some of our all-time favorite picture books for a record. We have most of these books, and I'm sure they'll be on my shelves even when I'm a grandma! (And I'm sure I'll have more to add to the list!)

ALPHABET CITY
These drawings inspired us to look around our house and yard and make a book of our own.

BEAR SNORES ON
This is probably our all-time favorite book. We love the rhythm and rhymes! We love all the "Bear" books - I think there are 4 or 5.

BECAUSE OF YOU
How sweet to know that each person is so special and essential!

THE BIGGEST BED IN THE WORLD
This one keeps us laughing and hits a little close to home!

BLUE HAT, GREEN HAT
This silly one for babies just tickled each of my girls when they were little - they cracked up at the silly turkey putting his clothes on wrong!

CDB
Just letters make out sentences. C D B means "See the bee!"

A CHILD'S CALENDAR
These poems are so descriptive they leave me breathless!

COOKIES
Learning life lessons through cookie analogies!

COUNTING KISSES
Each of my girls loved this one when they were babies.

DEAR DEER
A book of homophones - there are quite a few in the English language.

THE DISAPPEARING ALPHABET
"What if there were no letter A? Cows would eat HY instead HAY. What's HY? It's an unheard-of diet, And cows are happy not to try it."

EATING THE ALPHABET
Love the pictures from Lois Ehlert.

THE EMPTY POT
A classic, sweet story about being honest no matter what.

GOOD NIGHT, POPPY AND MAX
This is a fond one - the first book Kiera ever read!

HOME
No words, just pictures showing how the view from a room in a home changes through the years.

I LOVED YOU BEFORE YOU WERE BORN
The title alone makes me get teary-eyed!

MATHEMATICKLES
This is full of clever little puzzles: raindrops x leaves = pearls on green plates

MOUSE MESS
This one makes us laugh every time.

MY DADDY IS A PRETZEL
My girls and I both love yoga, and these have some fun poses.

MY GRANDMOTHER'S CLOCK
"I can count seconds by the beating of my heart. Have you noticed how the seconds go much quicker when life is exciting?"

OH MY BABY, LITTLE ONE
When I read this for the first time to the girls the night before school one year, I just started sobbing!

ONE LITTLE MOUSE
A little mouse goes looking for a new home but realizes what he had was right for him all along.

THE SEVEN SILLY EATERS
Sometimes I feel like this is my house!

SNOW SOUNDS
Just onomatopeic words - so fun!

SOMEDAY
Sweet story about hopes for the future.

STELLALUNA
A classic about friendship.

THANK YOU, WORLD
Shows different scenes from different cultures - how we're all different and similar.

THE TURN-AROUND, UPSIDE-DOWN ALPHABET BOOK
Turn the letter B on the side and it looks like a pair of goggles. Turn it on the other side and it looks like two windows in a castle. It also can look like one side of a butterfly.

UN-BRELLA
No words, just a magical story about changing seasons. Love, love, love the art!

WHOSE GARDEN IS IT?
Nothing in this world can be done alone. Everything in the world works together.