Top Ten Favorite Books For Little PeopleUltra-violet catastrophe!: Or, The unexpected walk with Great-Uncle Magnus Pringle
Besides having one of the best book names EVER, this was an essential read for me as a little person. The heroine has crazy messy hair, climbs trees and skins her knees, doesn't fit in, and finds a completely heartbreakingly sweet messy adventure with her Great Uncle Magnus Pringle, who also doesn't fit in.
The Jolly Pocket Postman (The Jolly Postman)
This was one of Dakota's favorite books as a little boy, read to him so repeatedly it's unfortunately fallen apart a bit. I'm not sure why the price on Amazon is so high- can the book be valued this much? Maybe we bought a book that became rare and classic without knowing it? We did buy the original in 1996 when Dakota was just two. It's a charming story with tiny envelopes containing even tinier letters and lists on every page that follow the story of this little postman on his adventure.
Good Night, Fairies
Magical. The story is told in a rhythm that soothes and feels like hot chocolate and fireplaces and trusted loved ones and happy days, and the illustrations are absolute heaven if you love detailed drawings and fairies. One of MY favorites.
Eloise (Eloise Series)
I am Eloise. I am six. " One of the most entertaining, charming characters in children's literature, drawn from the same lines as the great Pippi herself; Eloise is smart, sassy, awkward and interested in everything. The illustrations are absolute heaven. My favorite is when her shirts are too little and ride up on her belly, still round with fat from her almost-grown-out-of baby years.
Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings
A must have for every child. Shel Silverstein understood children in a profound way, and every poem is directed to their mysterious world, where magic is real, sadness is as common as happiness, and grown ups think babysitters 'sit upon the baby' and there is a creature that lives in your nose that will bite your finger if you pick your buggers. The illustrations, simple line drawings, are absolutely brimming with wit and close observation. I have read this since my childhood and never stop loving and quoting it.
The Relatives Came
Lola loves this book!! A fairly new book to our family, bought two years ago and loved and well read since. I'm happy when Lola picks this to read to her, because it captures my attention as well as hers. A family in a mountain home welcomes a huge carload of their relatives, and a lot of really cute hugging, eating and sleeping goes on until the relatives leave. The illustrations get to the heart and make us smile- my favorite is the one with family piled up all over the house in ridiculous positions, snoring away.
Scuffy the Tugboat and His Adventures Down the River
I loved this as a child and now my children love it too. Something in this story of Scruffy- the little tugboat who makes his way from the tub to the wide wide world, eventually through the big dark boots of men at work, the chopping waters and slapping of boats- something about it captures the feeling of childhood looking onto adulthood: the wide wonder, the innocence, the eventual landing into the arms of love. When I read this to my children there is a hush that falls onto them.
Miss Rumphius
Oh. This book is a rare gem, a wise and beautiful story that never fails to bring tears to my eyes as I read it. I won't give too much away, but Miss Rumphius is the story of a girl growing into a young woman, an adult and then an old lady, and more so, it's about intellectual curiousity and wondering at the natural world, perseverance in the face of suffering, about finding beauty, meaning and love and giving it back to the world, told in the most gentle way possible for young hearts. Gorgeous. Lola loves this one, too.
My Pony
A little girl longs for a pony, falls asleep and rides through lands on her pony, Silver, until she wakes up. But her pony will always be waiting. It's that simple. As a little girl who had a Pony Fund to save for my future horse, the last image in this book, one of a silver horse head gazing through the little girl's window with the words ' He will be waiting. Always. ' made me choke up the first time I read it so that Lola said " What's wrong, Mommy? " Nothing, I could have easily replied, this is just the power of a good book.
Buford the Little Bighorn
Bill Peet is a genius. His children's books have a special place in my heart, none more so than Buford the Bighorn, my sister Lura's favorite childhood book. Little Buford can't climb around the rocks like all the other bighorns, because his horns are a little TOO big. This tenderly told and illustrated story brims with compassion and depth. All of Bill Peet's books are to be highly recommended.
Enjoy-
