Our Ten Favorite Children's Books

If you know me or have been around here for a while, then you know that I love  to read. Being able to escape into a book is an amazing thing (a gift, even), and reading is one of those things that I truly believe everyone should learn to enjoy.

I have tried really, really hard over the past few years to make sure that my kids love books as much as I do. I got lucky, because my kids love books. Callum's favorite thing is to run into their room, grab a book off the bookshelf, bring it to me, and cuddle up with me while I read to him. Every night before bed, he and Elsie have to have at least two bedtime stories before they are satisfied.

Basically, we do a lot of reading in this house, so I thought I'd share some of our favorite children's books with you. 

1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. This is Callum's all-time favorite book. I think, on an average day, we read it 5-6 times.

2. Harold's Purple Crayon Treasury by Crockett Johnson When Elsie was younger, we would read this book every day. She absolutely LOVES Harold and the purple crayon. This book is great because it is a compilation of five adventures.

3. I love you, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt and Cyd Moore I actually found this book at a garage sale when Elsie was a few months old. It quickly became one of our favorite stories, since I call my kids silly names like "Stinky Face" on a regular basis.

4. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss This is on the list because it's my favorite story to read to the kids. I get really into it - voices, actions, the whole shebang. It's like Cat in the Hat dinner theatre at our house when this book gets read.

5. A Treasury of Classic Stories I love that this book is full of classics like Oliver Twist, Treasure Island, and Black Beauty. These were stories that I loved when I was younger, and ones that every child should know.

6. Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein This is a silly, fun book that I picked up at Target a while back. Callum loves to read it with me.

7. Mr. Brown can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss Callum and Elsie both love this book! It's so fun to go through and make all of the sounds with Mr. Brown.

8. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein This is a classic story, and one that I think every child should have in their collection.

9. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault Elsie loves to read this book with me. Plus, it's great for helping kids learn their letters.

10. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney This was my absolute favorite book when I was little. I try to read it to my kids a couple times a week. 

What are your favorite children's books?