Book List

(For Megan)
An Uncle is coming soon, and bringing more books, so its a good time to list what made the first cut. Although as I make this list most of these books are memorized (I should also make a list books that are completely memorized that we "read" aloud as we are walking somewhere):

10 Minutes til Bedtime by Peggy Rathman
Few words and the pictures get better with every reading (and she is absolutely my favorite contemporary artist)

Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus both by Mo Willems
George's favorite contemporary artist

Oh, What a Busy Day by Gyo Fujikawa
It doesn't rhyme or have any meter, it is super sentimental, and yet everyday we quote this book for some activity or have a read a page or two

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Classic

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and
Very Classic

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See by Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle
I have this horrible suspicion I brought this book because Ben is inconsistent in color recognition and I wanted to teach him something (this always goes wrong - currently he tells me that every animal in this book is "a bunch of blue ribbons" except the blue horse which is the "purple cat.")

Strega Nona an old story retold and illustrated by Tomie de Palo
I have yet to meet a toddler that did not love pasta or this book. Also, "It has peacocks in it and bunnies and and and cats in it and pigeons in it!"

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
This books is so perfectly narrated and illustrated

Snow by Uri Shulevitz
I like snow books in the deep winter and for a break in the heat of summer

Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Alan Ahlburg
This is Ben's fetus book - the one I read to him in the womb - that still has a soothing effect. And then Ben looked like Baby Bunting for a while.

Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Every single day we read this book - you would, too.

Richard Scarry's Mein Allerschoenstes Woerterbuch
I use this book to make the grocery list and Ben uses it to look at animals

Some favourite English books:
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler
Little did we know that Herr Scheffler is from Germany - and so he gets top billing here.
Do not ask me why, but when reading this from memory - we read it line by line backwards starting with the last line.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
Now that we have Kafe and Kuchen, a teeny fridge, and packets and tins in the cupboard, this book is even more fun to act out. We received several copies of this classic when Ben was born.

Some books go together -
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give a Mouse a Muffin both by Laura Joffe Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond

And from this group of Sandra Boyton books (thanks Ruckdaeschel's)
But Not the Hippopotamus
The Going to Bed Book
Moo, Baa, La La La
Opposites

And finally
Nancy Cassidy's Kids Songs: The Sing-Along Songbook
(Thanks Claire) Each song comes in and out of favor but there is always at least one that is active. Currently we sing a lot of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" which to me is rather religious but to Ben is about listing things on this earth (like animals he loves or food we eat regularily)

So yes, we have more children's books in the house then I have shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts and trousers (and yes, books weigh more than clothes).