Books I Read to the Boys by Request
By: Keith
Through the years we have gone through phases with our book reading. I sometimes find myself reading a particular book every day for a month. Then, the boys get sick of it and never request it again. But there are other books which seem to have a longer life cycle and which seem immune to their aging. I have compiled a list of books which fit into that category. These are books that the boys have always liked and which have not gone out of fashion for them. Some of them are specifically little kid oriented books while others are more mature. Either way, I am happy to read the kids whatever book they bring to me; it doesn’t matter if it’s a picture book or that it’s only 500 words long, only that they like it. Our children’s book collection is enormous so I’m sure I’m missing many worthy books. In any case, these are the ones I’ve picked out based on quickly scanning the book shelves and our night tables.
Shell Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, The Giving Tree, The Missing Piece, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O.
Shell Silverstein poetry will never go out of style. They are goofy, short, and well written. The illustrations are also a selling point.
P.D. Eastman and Helen Palmer
Are You My Mother?, Go Dog. Go!, A Fish Out of Water (Palmer).
P.D Eastman is much like Dr. Seuss in that he has a large repertoire of books and books that he has illustrated. These are the three that the boys can recite without actually reading them. We own others but only these three made the cut.
Dr. Seuss (or Theo. LeSieg)
Hooper Humperdink…? Not Him!, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish; Oh, the Thinks you can Think!, There’s a Wocket in my Pocket!, Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book; Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Could the list really be complete without Dr. Seuss? No. We own many many Dr Seuss books, but these are the ones we keep coming back to.
Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart
The Movable Mother Goose, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Commemorative Pop-up, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: A Pop-up Adaptation, Star Wars: A Pop-up Guide to the Galaxy (Reinhart).
Who doesn’t love pop-up books? These two guys are the best pop-up book creators there are.
Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw.
I’ve read Diary of a Wimpy Kid at least 4 times all the way through to the boys. The fact that there is a picture on almost every page and that it’s a real chapter book probably lend to it’s popularity.
Bill Watterson
Calvin and Hobbes
We got into reading Calvin and Hobbes one day at the book store, and I have since bought the full collection because the kids can’t get enough of them.
Kate DiCamillo
The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie.
These are cases of seeing the movies and then being ultra interested in the books. We just recently read Because of Winn-Dixie so I’m including it because the Author is going to be making repeat appearances in our house.
Robert McCloskey
Make Way For Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal.
I have been reading both of these books for the kids since before they could speak. They still are two of the boys’ favorite books.
Anything Titanic Related
Alan is weirdly fascinated by anything relating to the Titanic. He would want me to read a technical book about the Titanic if we had one. There is no one specific book that he prefers, only as long as it’s about the Titanic. We went so far as to see a traveling exposition of Titanic artifacts for him. Everybody has quirks, right.
No related posts.
Hey! We have several of the same “favorites” here as well. Just finished the third book in the “Wimpy Kid” series, and who doesn’t like, “Where the Sidewalk Ends”? They grow up too fast.