Some Of Our Favorite Children's Books

Some Of Our Favourite Children's Books

Reading with children is a brilliant way to encourage all sorts of skills. I thought I would share some our favourite children's books with you. We have quite a selection of young reading books as that is the stage that we are at in our life.

All of these books are ones that I think should be in every household. They are just perfect readers and great for all young children.

We find a lot of enjoyment with reading with Raph as he is getting really good at remembering sentences and saying them with you. Etta just loves holding books and turning pages. This can often hinder the story reading!

Books all homes should have;

Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

This is a must in every home. You can now buy libraries of all of Potter's books but this one is probably the ultimate. This specific version is one I got Etta as it is taken from the original and broken down into shorter sentences but still has the gorgeous pictures. It is also a board book which I love so little fingers can look through it easily. We also have the original version too.

Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg;

The Ahlberg's seem to create perfect children's books. This one in particular I have always known from when I was younger. It is a lovely rhyming book with beautiful pictures and opportunities for children to spot hidden characters. They have many published books and ones like Peepo are also classics.

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson;

This lady sure can make amazing stories. Her collection is quite big and they are all great stories for little ones; with great rhyming patterns which allow children to pick up and remember the story. This one is by far one of our favourites. I have liked the Gruffalo for some time, even pre-children from when I was at home. In fact I am pretty sure my brother recorded me reading it! This is a great story and now has a huge selection of merchandise that matches, I have even seen Gruffalo fancy dress costumes.

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

This beautiful board book of this story is full of only pictures. This means that the story is never told in the same way. Both Rob and I would give different variations on the story using the pictures. Raphael was hooked on this book for sometime but also seemed to become upset with loss. We didn't know why but then figured out that it was this book causing it. He still loves it and it has become a good opportunity for us to explain loss. Beautiful pictures and there is a wonderful film to match.

Hairy Maclary by Lynley Todd

The whole series of Hairy Maclary books are fantastic. We have a few of them and they are just a great read. Great characters, lovely rhyming stories and just nice children's books. Todd seems to get it right and in recent years the books have been published in a board book version (can you see my obsession) which means they are just really nice for children to handle.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr

This is a great story about a tiger who visits Sophie's house. For all children the thought of a tiger

coming for tea would be quite exciting and this book throws up lovely questions about this friendly

looking guest. This book is one of the best selling children's books of all times and once you read it and study the beautiful pictures you will see why. We were told that this book is based on a German girl's experience from the second world war where the tiger is portraying a Nazi soldier. 

Farmyard Tales by Heather Amery and Stephen Cartwright

Usbourne produce some beautiful children's books but one of my favorite series of theirs is the Farmyard Tales collection. Beautiful pictures and easy text makes reading them a delight and they are a staple for all children in my opinion. Just gentle friendly stories with loveable characters.

How To Catch A Star by Oliver Jeffers

This is the only book I have of Olivers but I do plan on getting more. The quaint artwork is the first thing that draws you in to the books. The story then makes it one of your favourites. Jeffers writes a story for children that can be enjoyed by parents. He has a lovely way of writing the story, almost from a child's perspective. It is a lovely read and brilliantly illustrated.

Mog by Judith Kerr

Another Kerr success is her series on Mog the cat. Robert especially remembers Mog And The Baby from his childhood which we own a very tatty version of. Mog The Forgetful Cat is also another great read from her collection. Lovely pictures with nice stories to match. Will leave you saying 'Bother that cat' all the time!

One Ted Falls Out Of Bed by Julia Donaldson

So I suppose I have saved our favourite until last. This story is my absolute favourite from our collection. It has the most beautiful illustrations which lend themselves to the gentle story of Ted. It is a counting book also so as a learning tool it really helps with numbers. It also is a rhyming story so the rhythm of the book carries you along; enjoying all of the situations ted gets into. For Raph as well, it is the first book that he ever read along with so for us that is special. I love how gentle it is and it is the perfect book for bedtime.

So that is just an insight into our favourites. There are always more books to add and it's hard to make a list of 'must haves' when in reality there are dozens more that you must have!!

I really look forward to book buying and love going into book shops and just looking through the reams enjoying the new children's stories and finding classics from my childhood.

Post by Emily