(A continuation of my Favorite Children’s Books series. List 1 can be found here. All images and titles are affiliate links.) *
Book 1:
All The Places To Love
Written by Patricia MacLachlan, Paintings by Mike Wimmer
This might be my favorite children’s book, written by the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall. A small boy takes us through all the places to love on his family’s rural property: Grandmother’s favorite place, Grandfather’s favorite place, Father’s, Mother’s, his own. The narrative begins with the boy’s own birth and concludes with the birth of his sister, and is an astoundingly beautiful glimpse of family, love, hard work, farm life and the natural world. If you’re a crier, this will make you cry!
Book 2:
The Big Alfie an Annie Rose Storybook
Written and Illustrated by Shirley Hughes
We adore all things Alfie and Annie Rose, and have covered more miles in the pages of this particular book than in just about any other children’s book we own. Shirley Hughes is a British author most well known for her collection of Alfie and Annie Rose stories – there are several books, so if your library doesn’t have this one, it probably has another. Through story and poetry Hughes perfectly captures the nuances of childhood with a precision any parent can appreciate. We laugh through her descriptions of mundane moments because we can relate to them – the way a toddler eats cereal, the way a preschooler cherishes a hat, the way a father is grumpy at a breakfast table. Her stories make my life seem normal, and remind me that childhood is GOOD.
Book 3:
King Bidgood’s In The Bathtub
Written by Audrey Wood, Illustrated by Don Wood
It seems like everything created by Audrey and Don Wood is delightful: a bit of whimsical nonsense, hilarity and beauty all rolled into one great story. My children laugh so hard at this book that I can hardly turn the pages. A king is determined to stay in is bath, and his court tries in vain to get him out. What escapades occur, though, in their efforts!
Book 4:
The Napping House
Written by Audrey Wood, Illustrated by Don Wood
Also delightfully nonsensical and hilarious, a snoring granny and all her household pile onto a bed for a nap. The poem mounts in joyous tension until a small surprise brings nap time to an end. The illustrations are glorious, and the rhyme is fantastic to read aloud.
Book 5:
Miss Rumphius
Written and Illustrated by Barbara Cooney
One of my daughters considers Mis Rumphius her favorite book. It is the story of Alice, a small girl who lives by the sea who grows to womanhood and lives a life of interest and adventure. But when her adventures come to an end, and her aged body ails, she is left feeling that there is still something left in her heart to do. She wants make the world more beautiful. So she does.
List 1 of the Favorite Children’s Book Series is here.
Books so far in this series:
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
When I Was Young In The Mountains
* What are affiliate links? Affiliate links are links that will take you to a purchase site, in this case Amazon, and that purchase site will reward the referrer for any purchase you make while visiting, at no difference in price to you. It is a really great way to support a blogger!
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