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[greenkoolayd]

@achewood We're talking about what books the young one should have next. I have declared today Robert Newton Peck day.

with that being said, what were your favorite books from childhood?

mines:

[Arachno-capitalist]

Why did you post this twice?

[greenkoolayd]

Why did you post this twice?

firefox threw a fit and it must have posted the first time i tried... sorry.

[TedStriker]

Richard Scarry, natch.

We had a version of Poky Little Puppy that came with an LP.  Jammed that shit on my giraffeer Price turntable and was straight transfixed by the dramatic twists n turns.

[CortJstr]

The only kids books I remember reading are Bereenstain Bears and Dr. Seuss. I never encountered Francis, Madeline, airborne meatballs, or the locations of things which are wild.

[pmcd9]

All the usual stuff of course, but especially Go Dog Go!

Do you like my hat?

[greenkoolayd]

my mom had 2 really rad books of Grimm's Fairytales.  About 2 inches thick(each!) of awesome, dark, ancient-school thrills.

[Carlos del Vaca]

Have you ever flown a kite in bed?
Have you ever walked with ten cats on your head?
Have you ever milked this kind of cow?
We can do it.  We know how?
If you haven't tried these things, you should.
These things are fun.  And fun is good.

[greenkoolayd]

anybody want a peanut?

[schnitzelbank]

I had a book of Grimm's fairy tales printed in the early 1900s. Blood, gore, betrayal - all the things a wee mind needs to grow and wonder why Disney movies were so lame in comparison.

[AugustWest]

Dr. Seuss!  Especially Green Eggs and Ham and Hop on Pop

A little bit later, this:

[Bobby Isosceles]

Dr. Seuss!  Especially Green Eggs and Ham and Hop on Pop

A little bit later, this:

Silly girl. Yes, you are pointing the animal's head toward Mecca and restraining it properly, but you still cannot Halal slaughter a pig.

[Arachno-capitalist]

With a clever use of terms, Doherty's book sends Rory and his three friends Morgan, Chase, and Solly (all names of large banks) to discover what Rory's father does for a living. With a father who is a trader on Wall Street, Rory always wondered what his father meant when he mentioned the trading pit and how he worked with bulls, bears ,and sharks-all very entertaining and educational notions for kids. The children set out on a great adventure following Rory's dad to work. They ride the train, elude a security guard, and have lots of fun on the trading floor. The kids agree it would be fun to work on Wall Street, wear colorful jackets, wave their hands around and throw piles of paper money on the floor. The adventure is clever, entertaining, educational, and right in sinc with a child's expectations and curiosity.

[wombat]

Whenever a child is born, this is what I buy for it.

[side_show]

Well, with the five years at the children's' theatre and five years at a book store, I have come across some books that stand the test of time and which children, parents and teachers never seem to tire of:

Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak.  The book might seem a little overplayed these days due to the mediocre movie, but it is a classic, and revolutionized picture books in its time.  Plus doesn't every kid have that fear while learning to keep their emotions in check that they are in fact a monster?  It's a book I love to read to children, and they always find it fascinating. 

Love You Forever - Robert Munsch. This is a Canadian classic, not sure if it's that well known beyond my borders, but it's the sort of book that turns most parents into blubbery messes when they read it because it's about the unending love of the parent-child bond.  It's just such a beautiful story.  Also worth checking out from Munsch are Mud Puddle and The Paper Bag Princess.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is one of those sacred books of childhood that I think every child should read.  Like Munsch's Love You Forever, it's a surprisingly complex story told in a simple beautiful way.

For a more contemporary book, While You Are Sleeping by Alexis Deacon is a beautiful picture book about a girls toys coming to life and protecting her while she sleeps.  I always imagined my toys doing this when I was little, so this one strikes a cord.

Also I'm a Manatee by John Lithgow is always a hit with kids - it's fun to read out loud and well illustrated (Amazon only lists the book with CD, but I recommend the book by itself).

There's also tons of versions of the Stone Soup story.  It's one of those classics that kids still love.

Of course Frog and Toad are fantastic.

There's oodles more I could recommend, but it's time for my own bed time story...