Five years ago, when my preemie daughter was released from the NICU, my husband and I were willing and ready to do anything and everything to help her development. But I’ll never forget how surprised we were at her doctor’s first, and most important, piece of advice.
This respected neonatologist told us the best thing we could do for our child was to read to her as much as possible. He told us to read to her in the morning and at night, in the waiting room of doctor’s offices and even in the carpool line. Even when we didn’t think she was listening, still read to her because it was absolute best thing we could do for her brain and development.
I admit, at first I thought it odd that his number one piece of advice wasn’t some new drug, or therapy, or even a Kumon class to get her ahead of the game! But later I found out why: study after study shows that reading to children when they are young is the best indicator of success in school.¹ Perhaps this doctor had seen evidence of this in his patients and that’s why he was so adamant. Whatever the reason, his words stuck with me. Even though that first year we were consumed with breathing tubes and oxygen tanks and surgery after surgery, my husband and I always tried to make time to read board books and picture books to our baby girl.
That following year my oldest daughter began attending a school that emphasized reading classic children’s literature aloud to your children. So, to kill two birds with one stone, I began reading to both girls the same timeless books my mother and grandmother read to me as a child: The Tales of Peter Rabbit, Tiki Tiki Tembo, and Caps for Sale just to name a few. I knew they were way above my almost two year old’s head, but surely it couldn’t hurt her little brain to hear such rich, beautiful words and to see the vivid illustrations.
As they both got older, we progressed into longer “read aloud” books. Two summers ago, when they were three and six years old, I read them Happy Little Family and All of a Kind Family – both several hundred pages with few pictures. My three year old would often play in her bed while I read, but afterwards she would make comments or ask questions that made me know she was totally listening the entire time! This past summer I read them Little House on the Prairie and The Black Stallion and both girls soaked up every word of adventure, danger, and fun.
Today our once preemie baby, now almost five, astounds her grandparents (and me!) with the range of her vocabulary and the articulation of her words – something that has to be partly attributed to the wonderful advice her doctor gave me years ago and the gifted authors who wrote such beautiful and enduring stories. (And I don’t mean to sound as if I’m bragging about my child – if you knew the story behind my pregnancy and birth, you would be astounded, too!)
Ironically, what started out as a task to help my premature daughter has, in fact, become such a precious gift to me. The time when I read to my children is usually the sweetest time of our day. Together we have laughed hysterically at Louis, the silly yet genius swan, in The Trumpet of the Swan. We have cried at the sweetness of a wealthy couple in The Lion in the Box. And I can’t tell you how many serious moral discussions we have had about Beatrix Potter’s The Two Bad Mice. Such memories I will hold dear forever!
So what does reading wonderful books to our children have to do with DoSayGive’s purpose of restoring the lost art of refinement? Well, I believe a refined person is usually a well-read one. And the road to being well-read starts early on in life.
You see, children who have swum through the pages of beautiful literature their entire childhood will no doubt be set apart in adulthood – by their diction, their grammar, their vast knowledge of cultures and history, and, most importantly, their keen awareness of the struggles of those around them. Those attributes are refinement in a nutshell – being able to sift through the muck and mediocrity our culture often throws our way and hold tight to the beautiful and important things of our world.
I can say from experience that reading stories from centuries past has transported my girls out of their 21st American bubble and given them a bit of (much-needed!) perspective. They were shocked when Laura and Mary were so incredibly grateful for the one piece of peppermint candy they got in their Christmas stockings in The Little House on the Prairie. And they were astounded at the responsibility of the eldest daughter in The Courage of Sarah Noble, who did all the cooking, cleaning, and mending for her father while he built their family a house from scratch. (I remind them of that when they start whining about having to make their beds!)
So how do you know what are good books to read to children in your life? It takes effort to sift through a lot of the lackluster books out there (again with the refining!). Sadly, most of the books on the children’s shelves of the library or books store are what I call “filler” books; they aren’t bad, per se, but they add little depth to our children’s lives. They are basically time-fillers, many of them watered-down stories with edgy or mature pictures designed with the intention of making children want to read more. (Good intention, bad execution – in my opinion!).
Want an example of good versus mediocre literature? Here’s an excerpt from a “filler book” that was displayed at my local library:
“She figured wrong. Katie Sue talked back! Just as sassy and she could be, she said, “how DID you get so bossy?” Then that puny little thing, that loony thing, grabbed the ball and bounced away.” (The Recess Queen, 2002)
Now here’s an example of a quality children’s book for the same age group:
“Once again the big silvery moon rose high in the sky. The owls winged noiselessly from the sycamore to the pine woods. Nothing else stirred in the silent snow-covered land.” (The Big Snow, 1948)
Now imagine two children. One child has grown up reading mostly “filler” books with syntax like in the first example. And the other child has grown up reading books with more of the rich, beautiful language like in the second example. Which child, when he gets to high school or college, will have a much easier time reading and enjoying the required readings of Chaucer, Austen, Fitzgerald? And which one will have to scour the internet to figure out what those books are all about because they aren’t used to reading literature with much depth?
Another way to find quality children’s books is to notice their illustrations. Here is a picture of the inside of The Recess Queen:
Okay, now here are some beautiful illustrations from some of the really time-tested children’s books out there:
I can’t tell you how many times my children have stopped me in the middle of a sentence to notice something special about an illustration. I sometimes get annoyed at the interruptions, but I know it is so wonderful that they are mesmerized by beautiful artwork. I hope this will stay with them throughout their lives.
And, a quick side note, I am not totally against “filler” books. We do have some of those and other junky character books in our house. But my children rarely ask me to read those to them. They always go back to the time-tested stories and illustrations. (It’s not something I have magically done, either; I just think children are innately drawn to stories of adventure and redemption and victory – just like adults!).
Whether you have children of your own or not, you can still share wonderful stories with the children in your life. You can read to your friend’s children (they will thank you!) or maybe your nieces and nephews. Or your grandchildren when they visit! You could even consider volunteering to read to children at a local boys and girls club to read aloud.
A piece of advice a wise person gave me: read beyond what you think they are capable of and read to them even if they can read themselves. I think one of the unexpected benefits of reading these books to children before they are school aged is that they don’t see them as “homework” or a “chore” but as something to be savored and enjoyed.
What I have found, and why I am writing this, is that reading children wonderful literature when they are young will not only will give them an expansive vocabulary, it will give them an appreciation for beautiful things, a love for books and, hopefully, an empathy for those around them. What a wonderful gift to give to the next generation!
The Tales of Peter Rabbit. My mom bought us the collection of stories from Beatrix Potter. She saved them all & we can now read them to my daughters. They love them just as much as I did!
Thanks Sarah! My girls read the one my grandparents gave me. They love them!
I loved “Harry the Dirty Dog” – love these cute books!!!
My girls love Harry! The beach one is their favorite! Thx friend!
There are too many to name!
I have re-discovered Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and it was like meeting an old friend again. I read her aloud to my boys and they laughed and laughed.
I love Narnia, Charlotte’s Web, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, Shel Silverstein, and many, many more
I don’t know about Mrs. Piggle Wiggle! Might have to find that one! Thanks for sharing and commenting!
We love Quick as a Cricket. Great post!
Thanks Cynthia! I will have to check that one out!
I loved the All of a Kind Family books too and cannot wait to read them to my daughter. Little Women and Rose in Bloom (also by Louisa May Alcott) were other favorites.
My girls loved All of a Kind Family! So great to talk about that time period and the Jewish customs of that sweet family and daddy. I think I cried when I read that book too!
Loved this post! I have my original full set of hardcover Little House books. They were my favorite. Also loved Island of the Blue Dolphins!
Thanks, Gini! I have my original set, too. I am so glad my mom kept it! We haven’t read Island of the Blue Dolphins…will have to check that one out!
My most beloved book was Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends.
Love that one! Thanks Ashley!
What a fabulous post, Lee! My favorite children’s book might be The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. That is really hard for me to just choose one!
I love that, too! I scored a vintage copy at the book fair last year:). Thanks for your sweet comment, too.
I love the giving tree. One of my all time favorites. I love the new book recommendations!
Love that book! Haven’t read that yet to my girls, so thanks for the reminder!
Love this post, Lee! I think my favorite was Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, but hard to choose? Also, loved Charlotte’s Web and all the LIttle House books. I could go on… 😉
Thanks Jennifer! You probably have some good recommendations for me!
The Phantom Tollbooth! I’ve read and reread it throughout the years and am looking forward to sharing it with my own children soon. Thanks for a lovely post.
Thanks Becca! I will have to check that one out!
Great article! I look forward to your classics for boys suggestions. I loved The Giving Tree as a kid, even though it always made me strangely sad, yet happy. My dad and I loved reading Shel Silverstein poetry and then reciting it from memory on car trips. We can still recite most of Ickke Me Pickle Me article Me Too.
Thanks Anna! I loved Shel Silverstein, too! My next post I’m going to write about some books I gave my nephews (4,6,8 years old) and how much they loved them! However, The Black Stallion and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe jump out at me right at this moment for great boy read alouds.
One of my favorites as a young girl was The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I just loved it and can’t wait to read it with my daughter. I would love to win these classic books! Great post!
We haven’t read that yet but can’t wait to! Thanks for commenting!
My favorite as a child was The Poky Little Puppy. My parents didn’t read to us after we learned to read. If it wasn’t assigned I didn’t read it growing up so it has been so fun for me to discover the classics along with my daughter.
We have and love the Poky Little Puppy! Such a simple illustration of obedience and consequences and a mother’s love!
I loved Black Beauty and Little Women although it’s hard to narrow it down. We are in the middle of the Narnia series and Caroline just LOVES it. Matthew hasn’t quite learned how to pay attention yet since the content is so over his head and there are few pics. But he’ll get there 🙂 Excited about this giveaway!!
He is listening more than you realize, I bet! But, yes, it will come with time. We haven’t read Black Beauty, yet, but I remember how much I loved it as a child.
I love that after seeing you a few weeks ago your blog has popped up a few times from friend’s feeds. I absolutely Love this post so much! I agree whole heartedly with the idea that you should read above what you think they are able- their vocabulary grows by leaps and bounds. Poetry is so fun, too. I love hearing my son get tickled by a line in a poem. But as for books these days- The Incredible Journey of Edward Tulane is a favorite in our house.
Thank you Jessica! That is so sweet! We love poetry, too. I am going to include that on my next post…Thanks for the suggestion, too!
I read all the time as a child and it is so hard to pick a favorite. I love that I am able to revisit some old friends with my daughters (ages 6 and 8) as well as discover some new books. This summer we loved reading Twig and the Doll People series. We have also loved the Little House and the Narnia series. My older has just discovered the Boxcar Children and Beverly Clearly which were both some of my childhood favorites.
We love the Boxcar children. That’s actually what my husband prefers to read to my girls. Thanks for the great suggestions!
Hmmm…there are SO many favorites! Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, the Chronicles of Narnia, Anne of Green Gables and anything by Roald Dahl–to name a few!
Oh thank you so much for the wonderful suggestions! I hope people are reading these comments!!
Oh my goodness, so many books….let’s see, I loved Heidi and as an older girl, I loved “Are you there God? it’s me Margaret”
Great, thank you, Tina!!
“The Best Loved Doll” is my absolute favorite for girls. We also
Love Betsy Tacy and All of a Kind Family. For adventure loving boys.
Favorites are Where the Red Fern Grows, My Side of the Mountain
and Banner in the Sky.
I love giving that book for birthday presents – such a sweet book! Thanks for all the other suggestions, too!
Loved Stellaluna, The Rainbow Fish and Love you Forever.
Thank you for the great suggestions!
Hands down my favorite childhood book is Charlottes Web.
Love that one! Thanks for commenting and sharing! Hope y’all are well!!
Hi Lee, Thank you for taking the time to write and share these beautiful and uplifting posts. I loved reading Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books and The Velvetine Rabbit and can’t wait to read them to my daughter.
Thank you, Erin! I am so glad people are responding and hopefully these great comments are giving people more ideas on what to read! Someone else mentioned Mrs. Piggle Wiggle! Going to check those out!
Such a great post Lee. We love One Morning in Maine and Time of Wonder. For chapter books, All of a Kind Family, Twig, and Stuart Little are household favorites.
I don’t think I know about Time of Wonder? I will have to check that one out…And I haven’t read Stuart Little yet to the girls. They would love that! One Morning in Maine is my absolute favorite – it makes me feel like I can give the girls a taste of the New England they never got to know…Thanks Chamlee!
The books I remember most from my mother reading aloud to us are A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, and C.S. Lewis’ books (any and all!). I, too, have seen the fruits of read-alouds…my 8 year old struggling (possibly dyslexic) reader has listened to books way above his reading level, and has a great vocabulary!
What a great article…thank you!
Thanks for the comment and I have heard Winnie the Pooh is such a great book for boys! (I know I listed a lot of girl books in my post so thanks for these two!)
The Giving Tree and Charlotte’s Web were two of my all time favorites too! Such a sweet post you’ve written here with beautiful pictures of your family!
Thank you, McCall! I love both of those books! I need to pull out Charlotte’s Web – haven’t read that to them yet…
I have been a reader my entire life- how do I pick one favorite? One of the top- Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. My kids are high school and older now, but I read out loud to them for years and years. I agree with all you have written here. More good books, less filler!
blessings!
Thank you so much for your encouraging comment! And thank you for the suggestion!
I loved many that have already been mentioned — Narnia, The Secret Garden, All of A Kind Family, and Charlotte’s Web. I also really enjoyed the various “shoes” books by Noel Streatfield — Ballet Shoes, Skating Shoes, etc. Stuart Little and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will appeal both to boys and girls. One newer book that has become a favorite is Brian Selznick’s “The Adventures of Hugo Cabret” that unfolds like a silent movie; don’t let the size intimidate you — it’s 70% illustrations. Thanks for the wonderful post!
Thank you, Carolyn, for the wonderful ideas! Can’t wait to check some of those out!
Miss Suzy (Miriam Young/Arnold Lobel) is a little known treasure and one of my favs. Understood Betsy is another that shouldn’t be missed!
Thanks for the recommendation! We love Understood Betsy, too!
Lee, I LOVE your blog, and I love this post! Such happy memories of reading to my kids since they were babies! Like many others, too many wonderful books to name! Most recently, I have shared laughs with my kids over Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Pippy Longstocking, and Edith Nesbit’s Five Children and It. We’ve learned compassion and character (and mommy got weepy) reading Understood Betsy and The Secret Garden. Honestly, I’ve had favorites in my childhood, but now I have a new “favorite book” every time we read a book together :). So many good picture books, too… Robert McCloskey is a favorite. A book that we just picked up again was The Jungle Grapevine — hilarious. The “Yoko” books by Rosemary Wells have been a sweet way to help our kids transition to moving to Japan :).
Oh I’m so glad to read your comment, Jenny! Thanks for the great suggestions. My children laughed hysterically at Mr. Popper’s Penguins!
This was such a wonderful post! I just dug through the depths of my family storage unit recently searching for my childhood book box to grab a few classics. My daughter was in the NICU as well for 130 days. The hours could be long while I sat by her side so I would often fill the time with stories from some of my favorites. I have vivid memories of reading Charlotte’s Web and the Velveteen Rabbit growing up. We have only had our LO home for 2 months but story time is quickly becoming my favorite. Even at such a young age she soaks up the cadance of my voice and beautiful images. Thank you for sharing!!!!
Thank you for your sweet note! My husband often read to our preemie, too! It was their special time together late at night after everyone else had gone home!
Fabulous post! Good literature is so very important for children and our society. Happy to have found your blog through a share from Gini Florer. My favorite book was A is for Annabelle by Tasha Tudor. My girls love it, too!
I’m so glad that Gini shared! Thanks for your comment and I love giving A is for Annabelle as a birthday gift! So sweet for little girls!
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and Pilgrims Progress….oh, the lessons our two older children have learned from both of those books continue through theirs and our lives!
So true! My daughter is reading Pilgrim’s Progress in school now and I love to hear her talk about it! Thanks for commenting!
What an incredible post! More excited than ever to read to my kiddos. I have always loved The Velveteen Rabbit.
Thank you, Amelia! I am so glad it home with so many people! I haven’t read the Velveteen Rabbit to my girls yet but I want to. I still have my copy from when I was a little girl!
I loved the Little House on the Prairie series of books. My Grandmother gave me the set for Christmas many years ago. I still cherish it and read them to my children now.
I still have my set, too! So sweet! Thanks for sharing!
A Time to Keep & Where the Wild things Are
Love Where the Wild Things Are! Haven’t read the other but glad to know about it! Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful post! My favorite things to buy for my children (besides clothes of course!) are books, and they’re the one purchase I never feel guilty about. I look forward to sharing my favorite childhood book, Little House on the Prairie, and countless others with my girls.
Thank you for sharing, Elsa!
My favorite was Andy Buckram’s Tin Men, by Carol Brink (author of Caddie Woodlawn). It’s out of print but a great book about ingenuity, adventure and courage. It’s a great read-aloud book and is a book both bots and girls can enjoy together.
Oh I will have to look for those books! So fun to get all these great suggestions! Thanks!
I should be writing my own post, Lee, and here I sit remembering all the wonderful books we read as a family. One I continue to reread and remember and refer to is Marjorie Williams The Velveteen Rabbit, a story about being real in life and love. Charming and rich even for adults!!
Such a great book! I still have my copy from when I was a little girl! Can’t wait to read to my girls soon. I’m glad you shared. Thanks for always commenting – as you know it’s so encouraging to the writer!
I loved Goodnight Moon as a child. My daughters love it too. I’ve read it so many time over the years I have memorized it. My girls are impressed that I can “read” it to them without even looking at the book!:)
Lol. So true for us, too. We love Runaway Bunny, too. Makes me cry every time!!
My favorite book growing up was Jamberry by Bruce Degan. It’s for younger children but it has the most beautiful illustrations.
Oh I’m so glad to know about this one! Will have to put on my list!!
Great post! I’d have to say Shel Silverstein’s books were my favorites. Thanks!
Thanks Melissa!!
The Black Stallion and Black Beauty for sure! There are too many to name!
I know! But thanks for sharing those!
Lee! Absolutely LOVE this post- thanks for inspiring me! As I read these comments, I am putting these books in my Amazon cart! So many great suggestions… made me realize that I haven’t read The Velveteen Rabbit to my kids yet! What a great reminder and inspiration for what we read to our children.
My kids loved Charlotte’s Web. I remember loving Little Women and being so moved by it as a child. Boxcar Children and Caddie Woodlawn were beloved. And Shel Silverstein’s “Sister for Sale” poem I could recite by memory. 🙂
I haven’t read the Velventeen Rabbit either! And I have it in our bookshelf!! Thanks for the great suggestions!
Oh and the Hardy Boys! Forget Nancy Drew…. I liked the brothers! 🙂
Love those! (Actually never read the Hardy Boys but loved Nancy Drew!)
One of my favorites that I read again and again to my daughters is “The Day the Crayons Quit”. She loves hearing the letters and looking at the illustrations.
Oh thanks so much for the great idea!
What a great post! We read so much in our house when I was little. I loved all of the Anne of Green Gables series (especially because she spelled Anne with an “e”) and I remember my dad reading The Secret Garden to my brother and me every night and loving the story and the illustrations. My grandmother gave me a bunch of books that were my father’s when he was a kid and that made them even more special to me and I read them over and over again. And my grandmother gave me her copy of Little Women which I still treasure. I can’t wait to share these same books with my children someday.
So sweet, Leigh Anne! Thank you for sharing all your happy memories! Love all these childhood books!
I loved Little Women and Amy’s Eyes. I remember feeling such a sense of accomplishment when I finished reading those lengthy chapter books all on my own, and I still think about those books and look forward to sharing them with my own daughter.
So sweet! It will be a special time for you to share together!
Hands down: Chronicles of Narnia (I know … that’s actually seven books).
Thanks, Ben!!!
Love that you remember your neonatologisr! My favorite golden book… The little red hen!
Yes, he has impacted my daughter’s life so much! Love that one, too:)
My favorite story as a child was The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter. I promptly purchased The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit for my twins when I found out I was pregnant. They are two now and I love that they will grow up knowing my favorite hedgehog.
Thank you Lacey! We love those, too!
Betsy-Tacy Books
The Great Brain Books
Mary Poppins
Mandy (by Julie Edwards (Andrews) – one of my favorite books ever but not as well known)
A Cricket in Times Square
Ramona books
I could go on and on and on! I keep trying to find the “book” that will hook my older daughter into reading.
I will say that we wore out Brown Bear Brown Bear when she was young -and folks were amazed when she could pick out animals before she could speak. 🙂
Thanks for this wonderful post. Keep on reading!
Wow thanks for the great tips!!
Lee- I love this post! I have found a new passion for children’s lit through Providence as well. This set of books is absolutely beautiful!! The Little Princess, Understood Betsy and Black Stallion are some of my favs right now. I also LOVE all of the James Harriot stories. The illustrations are so beautiful. Looking forward to the rest of your blog posts about reading and books. You are doing an amazing job with this blog so far- amazing!
Thank you, Tori! We haven’t read The Little Princess yet but want to?
My favorite books were the Anne of a Green Gables series. My favorite book that
I read to my kids is a The Big Red Barn.
Thanks LaNell!!
Wonderful post, Lee! I love all the book suggestions. I remember I used to love Jumanji growing up. I don’t know that it’s considered a classic, but I loved the adventure! And the pictures are great too.
I’ve had so many people tell me that about Jumanji! I need to get it. (Oh and I don’t know what classifies as classic either- need to look that up.)
And all I really care about is that they are quality stories that entertain my children!
I loved all the books Captain Kangaroo read to me, which included many of the ones you mentioned in your article. What a blessing he was! My sixth grade teacher read A Little Princess aloud to us in the classroom, which was an absolutely magical experience, and it remains an all-time favorite.
Oh that’s a wonderful memory. I love teachers that still read aloud like that!
Little ballerina by Dorothy Grinder
Thank you Angie!
From my childhood I’ll pick “Little House on the Prairie”, although it is really hard to pick just one! A new favorite for my girls that I think is good for boys and girls is “My Father’s Dragon”.
Thanks, Mimi!!
Thank you for the inspiration. I came straight home from work and read a book to my daughter.
Oh wow! That’s so great to hear/ thank you!
Hard to choose…3 that stick out are The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, Charlotte’s Web, and the Boxcar Children series. My dad loved to read and would read to me in bed every night. I guarantee that’s why I have always loved to read, too!
I bet you’re right! What a sweet daddy!
My girls love Harold and the Purple Crayon, Chicka Chicka 123, and the Grouchy Ladybug. Great post! I loved reading through the comments to find more classics to read!
Thanks so much, Traci!
Lee, I love this post and all the comments! It’s really giving me a much needed boost to our nightly reading. I think I need to up the length and maturity of the books we read. We’re ready for it! My favorites growing up were the Giving Tree, Corduroy, Secret Garden and Little Women. I love reading Snowy Day, Peter’s Chair, Swimmy, Keeping Quilt, Sick Day for Amos McGee to my girls now. So many good ones!
Corduroy books are great! You’re the first person to mention those, I think, but so sweet.
Hi Lee! I’m so glad I found you on here and I absolutely love this post! Thank you for this reminder…my 4 year old and I have been reading too many filler books. We need to dig deeper. xx
My favs: Secret Garden, Wrinkle in a Time, and Bridge to Terabithia has always stuck with me.
Thanks for the suggestions! I love The a Secret Garden- can’t wait to read it to my girls, too!
Such a great post and reminder that even when life is too busy it’s nice to come up for air and read to our little ones. My all time favorite book is The Velveteen Rabbit! A beautiful message for any child to hear.
Thank you for your kind words. Love that book, too!
The first childhood book that comes to mind is a funny one. Not a classic, but one of the first I could “read” (memorized) because we had read it so much! It’s called, It’s Not Easy Being A Bunny. A good lesson about not taking who you are and what you have for granted.
Oh good to know about this one! Thanks Jen!
A Little Princess was my favorite growing up. Great story! Great article too, thanks!
Love!! Thanks for your sweet comment!
My children’s favorite was “Ping”
Love “Ping”!
Oh, gosh… too many good stories to choose just one! I love ‘Blueberries for Sal’… also the Frog and Toad books and anything by Tommy dePaola! Lee, thanks so much for passing on these words of wisdom… great reminder to be intentional with what we read to our kiddos!
Thanks for the great advice!
Love this post! Very helpful as a new mom, thank you! A couple of my favorites were Charlotte’s Webb and The Trumpet of the Swan.
Love Trumpet of the Swan! Thanks!
Love this conversation – your suggestions are great and it is so much fun to read through all the comments as well! I’ll for sure be copying some ideas! My girls and I have really enjoyed the American Girl series recently – I remember loving them as a child, but they’re also great as an adult. I never realized how much history they really included while also telling entertaining stories! I havent yet tried any of the “newer” ones, but the ones from my childhood lived up to all my memories and expectations 🙂
Yes Carey! Did you read the Kirsten one? So good!!!!
Sorry if I have already replied to your comment, I just don’t see that it went through. But, yes, we loved reading the Kirsten books. Kind of reminds me of Little House on the Prairie. Such great history involved and we broke out the maps to talk about where there family was from and where they were now. So great!
My favorite “little kid” book was “Small Pig” by Arnold Lobel. I loved how my mom read the part that said the pig would “sit down and sink down in the good, soft mud.” As an older kiddo I loved Little Women! (but I must say that All of a Kind Family was a great one, too, and my kids loved it when I read it to them recently!)
Thank you for the great suggestions!
I read every Nancy Drew there ever was! I couldn’t get enough.
Me. too. I loved Nancy Drew!
Thanks for sharing! I loved The Hundred Dresses, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Little House on the Prairie….so many more. Children’s book are the best. When I read to my students I’m instantly in my happy place. A kid all over again!
We love Hundred Dresses, too!
That’s so great. Thank you!!
My favorite memories of being read to growing up revolve around my Dad picking poems from this special collection he had called Magic Casements (or something like that). He would read everything from classics by Yeats and Poe to others no one else has ever heard of and yet their lines will always have a spot in my memory.
So sweet – what a great daddy!
My mom used to read to us every night and now I read to our one-year old! It is such a precious time! We just finished The Wizard of Oz, which was pretty great! It’s hard to remember any one story that really stuck with me all these years, but I do remember months of working our way through The Sugar Creek Gang series and The Swiss Family Robinson (can you tell I grew up with brothers?) that made me long for adventure…
Love those! Thanks!
Did you see that poem I posted on Facebook called “The Reading Mother”? It’s such an encouragement of how impactful it is on our children when we read to them. Thanks of ryou comment and suggestions!
My favorites were Addie Across the Prairie and Addie’s Dakota Winter by Laurie Lawlor. What a great post and beautiful giveaway.
Oh thank you so much!
I really enjoy reading your blog. Your ideas are wonderful and thing we can really do. I love little house on the prairie. My mom would read me a chapter a night.
Thank you for your kind encouragement! My girls love Little House on the Prairie, too! Such a great story.
I loved The Secret Garden or Chronicles of Narnia
Me, too. I always wanted a secret garden of my very own….can’t wait to read that to my girls soon. Thanks for sharing!
Corduroy by Don Freeman. I have 3 little girls now and the possibilities are endless!
Corduroy is so precious. Such a great series!
I enjoyed Little House on the Prairie and Nancy Drew. I enjoyed reading to my children when they were younger and now both my girls are avid readers!
Love both! Thanks!
The Little House Series was my favorite, as a child. I’ve loved reading them to my girls. We have also loved The Hundred Dresses, Bears on Hemlock Mountain and the Narnia Series. Reading time is our favorite time of day!
Growing up I loved hearing about ANY stories about horses! With my children I loved reading to them Beatrix Potter’s stories, as well as Laura I. Wilder books. Now as a grandparent I love reading the children’s versions of Bible stories to my grandchildren, as well as horse stories, Wilder, and Potter books! I will even read them the news:)
I love grandparents that read to their grandchildren – such special memories you are making with them! They will remember it forever…Thanks!
My favorite childhood books were Amelia Befilia! I thought she was absolutely hilarious!
I loved them, too! Now my seven year old reads them!
My favorite was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I just started reading The Complete Tales of Winnie-the- Pooh to my boys. Love your blog!
I haven’t read Winnie the Pooh to my girls but can’t wait to! Thanks for commenting!
My favorite books as a child was Little Bear! My grandmother would make different voices when she read. So fun!
So sweet! I need to do better about voices!
Love all touch and feel for my one year old. I also love to read Karen Katz books! Our favorite is mommy hugs and daddy hugs ❤️