Looking for something to read to your toddler or preschooler while his older siblings are doing there school work? Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite books for 1-5-year-olds.
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey was one of the books I had my mother read over and over to me as a child. A Caldecott Honor Book, its story is timeless. Sal and her mother go blueberry picking on a mountain. Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk! go the berries in the pail. On the same mountain, a baby bear is following its mother, eating berries. Somehow, the girl and the cub end up following the wrong mother along the way.
Martin Waddell is a contemporary author whose books for little ones are always worth reading. Owl Babies tells the story of Sarah and Percy and Bill, who wake up in the middle of the night to find their mother is gone. The older two try to encourage themselves and their siblings not to be afraid. After all, she has only gone hunting and will surely be back soon. Bill, the youngest, repeatedly responds, “I want my Mommy.” At last, their mother returns. Sarah and Percy insist they were not afraid. “I love my Mommy.” said Bill. Lyrical text.
The Snowy Day is another of my childhood favorites. Ezra Jack Keats wrote and illustrated it, earning the Caldecott Medal in 1963. A little boy plays in the new-fallen snow, walking with his toys pointed out, then his toes pointed in to make foot prints. Hoping to savor the joy of the day, he puts a snowball in his pocket, only to find later that it has disappeared!
I have not read anything else by Laura Krauss Melmed or illustrated by Henri Sorensen. My sister bought I Love You As Much… for her godson M’s first birthday. This is a peaceful and heartwarming book. On each two-page spread, beautiful paintings capture the love and joy between a mother animal and her child. “Said the mother horse to her child, ‘I love you as much as a warm summer breeze,'” it begins. Seven more animal mothers tell how much they love their children. The final two pages shows a human mother lying with her sleeping infant. “Now sleep child of mine, while the stars shine above–I love you as much as a mother can love.” Perfect for reading at bedtime.
Those are just a few of the wonderful books I like to read with J. Please share with us your favorites.
Connie Rossini
I my daughter enjoying Goodnight Moon, and Mother Goose Rhymes.
The first time I read Goodnight Moon I found the illustrations garish, bit I got used to them over time. We have read the book countless times. Once when we were cleaning out a toy box I found a comb and brush among the toys. I quipped, “I’d better not find a bowl full of mush in here!”
I just reread my comment. I must have been half asleep! But I think you caught the drift of my thinking, Connie.
Makes me long for the days of reading to a child before bedtime. A time to savory; a time to remember; a time to be cherished.
Robert McCloskey wrote another book featuring Sal, “One Morning in Maine”. I highly recommend it.
I never read that one as a child, but we have it now. It’s fun to read when a child loses his first tooth. Thanks for commenting.
My daughter texted me last night asking me what books from her childhood she loved. Apparently she cannot remember that far back, or so she says. She needs the information for a story-boarding class she’s taking.
hat’s kind of sad that she forgot! Reading with my mom is among my favorite memories. Of course, I LOVE books! I hope you can help refresh her memory.
I, also remember reading, but with my dad. We (my siblings and I) snuggled up with him before bedtime. He read chapter books. One chapter per night. We sang songs and hymns. Then we prayed. Those are among my most precious remembrances. My mother spent that time resting.
Oh, yes, I did refresh Catherine’s memory—and mine.
Thanks for this list! I want to make sure we provide wholesome books for my son, unlike the one we got for free from the mayor that slipped in pictures of two daddies and two mommies.
Ugh! I’m finding it’s really hard to keep the culture out of our children’s lives these days, even when we homeschool. God bless!