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...
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Topic: well, in MY day....... (Read 9714 times)