{In this post, click on the pictures below to go to the book in question.}
If you click on the photos, you should get to information about the books I post here! |
Without needing advanced degrees to know the needs of a child to be held on someone's lap (someone loving, like Mama or Papa or Grandma or Grandpa or older sibling learning to read and so proud to spend time with baby), to reorganize his little babbles into understandable sounds, to share his delight with others, to learn to put names to the endless phenomena presented to his unformed mind — and to learn the sounds that those funny things make (horses say neigh, cows say moo! — incredible!), to learn to read —
I just can't believe how un-insightful today's world is about children.There seem to be two extremes — the clueless thought that a child's world is devoid of anxiety, hurt, or worry, with the consequent utter vapidity of reading material; and the backlash that seems not to understand that the child's view of the world unfolds slowly, and that to heap a lot of sophisticated material on his head is counterproductive.
Everything children encounter should reach them a little further towards what they will someday know and towards what everyone has always known. To their future and the culture's past. Yes! Even the little word games they play as babies with laughing grownups help them to, one day, read Shakespeare…. Hey nonny nonny!
So what sorts of stories and reading correspond to the stages of growth?
I can't give a comprehensive list* —
a) it would be book-length, not blog-post length (we're already past that mark, sigh, sorry for this long post!)
and b) it would take me too long and meanwhile your kids would be maybe missing out! They can't wait for Auntie Leila forever!
This one you will need to keep an eye out for at used book sales. It's valuable. |
Goodnight Moon is on the cusp of books that are more to provide parents with a clue of how to interact with their baby than actual literature for the baby. It's informative, for instance, to have a book that illustrates how to play “Patty-cake” — informative for you! It's more fun for baby to actually play that game with you than to read a book about it.
No, for babies, books will be objects to chew on, foremost, and interactive pictures in the second place. If it helps you to have instructional books, then that's fine. What's wonderful about books for babies is reinforcing the idea that things have sounds that go with them! Names! Words!
In fact, for the first few years, it's much more delightful to a child and peaceful to you simply to discuss each picture, cozily, with no rush, than to try to read most books. Only the most sing-song-y, repetitive, and well composed books actually get read!
After the first year:
Now you want to begin nursery rhymes, folk tales, and simple stories of “going” and “doing” and “observing.”
First, you are patterning their little minds and tongues and mouths. Think about this little rhyme:
Give it a stitch and that will do.
Here's a nail, and there's a prod,
And now my shoe is well shod.
Amazingly, in four lines you convey rhyme, meter (sort of! the irregularity at the end sort of cries out for an action from you, doesn't it? like shaking baby's legs or giving him a tickle?), a name for a person who fixes shoes, and the past participle of the irregular verb to shoe!
{By the way, it's a cruel twist of fate (albeit an easily explained one) that the most common verbs are the irregular ones. Have you ever thought about how difficult it is to ask a small child who barely knows how to speak at all to tell you that he “went” rather than “goed”? Yet learn it he must. And he will with very little difficulty, provided you worry less about offering him a wide variety of foods and instead concentrate on a wide variety of diction.}
Mother Goose also gets you through the day. If I hadn't had “One, two, buckle my shoe” and the drastically un-PC “ten little Indians” I don't know how we would have gone up and down stairs every day without meltdowns all around! There's something about a sing-song-y rhyme that makes putting on shoes, brushing hair, changing a diaper, or eating oatmeal better.
“Folk tales” is maybe a better name for fairy tales that are less about magic and more about relating to the complex world this child has to figure out before too long. For the first few years, a child does best with stories like The Three Bears and The Three Little Pigs. In fact, those are children's favorite stories. Ever.
Dear Goldilocks, she simply had to learn her place. There's big, medium, and little. Children are little. They are happier when they accept that for now, and it helps them if there is a delightful “wee, tiny, itsy-bitsy baby bear chair” that should be taken care of, not broken. They take refuge in Mama's “soft” world, and it consoles them for things seeming either too big or too small. But in the end, it won't quite do! Papa does frighten them a little. So telling that story with a great gruff voice for Papa Bear adds to the thrill and makes it more manageable.
As to the pigs, well, can you see them as stages of development rather than individuals? That makes their eventual demise more understandable, doesn't it?
Yes, our copy is duct-taped. Sigh. It's not our first copy by any means, either. It's an artifact of Bridget's childhood! |
The child's view of things is so different from your flat, literal one. You insist on seeing many characters in the story, and feeling empathy for each one.
Silly grownup.
There's only one person in the child's world — him!
But then, the conflict! Because there's you and Daddy too! Horrible siblings! It's better to have to acknowledge the conflict, even as we tease him into reality, which isn't so bad after all.
Somehow, these stories do a great job, in their place, of achieving that balance. Let's let them do their work without getting fixated on the elements that seem too intense for us. If it were so, and The Three Little Pigs were really too sad or violent, it wouldn't be the universally satisfying story it is!
{The poor Chief had to read that book more times than he can count! He hates those pigs.}
Jack and the Beanstalk — how hopeless the world seems, and yet, there are big opportunities that call for quick reactions in the big world. The Little Red Hen, The Gingerbread Man, The Three Billygoats Gruff, Brer Rabbit Puss-in-Boots — so many stories of this little helpless person gaining some cunning and strength and dealing with almost insurmountable problems!
Today's “story” is likely to try to address a problem directly.
Bad idea.
First, there is no way to know exactly what it is that troubles any given child. When you are explicit, you do more harm than good, even introducing issues where there are none!
What a dumb thing to do.
Second, adults are often in denial about what the problem is. You might think your child doesn't worry about divorce, but you don't realize your child feels threatened to his very being by a small argument you have with your husband. You shouldn't get divorced, but arguing is hard to avoid! You try your best, and then read them stories that show that you understand that the adult world is anxiety-provoking, but, ultimately, manageable.
This story is The Twelve Dancing Princesses by another name. |
So let's trust the wisdom of the subliminal message and the indirect approach. It's truly time-tested. Let's be humble when we think that we are exposing our children to dangers all the time, and even if we're careful, they still perceive the world as mortally dangerous — it's sort of in the nature of needing protection that you feel vulnerable. Rather than choose to ignore this central problem of childhood, let's recover the culture and allow it to do its work.
It's a process of natural (literary) selection that happens over many generations, separating the helpful from the less so.
A four-year-old…
… loves to hear about just life.
Milly-Molly-Mandy, The Animal Fair, Oh What a Busy Day!, Harry the Dirty Dog.
As they approach the age of reason (around seven years old — also the time they start losing teeth and learning to read!), now you can start introducing the more involved fairy tales.
Now, keep in mind, dear Candice, those collections you've bought aren't exactly intended for young children! They are more like anthropological studies, recording for posterity the tales that sometimes were for older people — even adults with children listening in. For in times past, the energy we spend on watching movies was directed towards listening to stories. Just as there are movies that only some older children can understand and process, so there are stories that really aren't meant for youngsters, even though they are all called fairy tales.
You see the advantage of the picture book? Tried and true, those are the ones that have stood the test of time. They challenge talented illustrators to bring them into the visual realm.
Many of those stories in your collection are worthy and wonderful, and when the kids are young adults, they may read them for themselves — I think they should, because a lot of those stories address mature issues. For youngsters, it's up to you, Mom, to pick and choose which ones are read-aloud-worthy. And honestly, some are just weird — speaking as a reader with almost no filter when it comes to classic fairy tales!
Here's a good idea, if your public library cooperates by not having trashed its fairy tales: head over there and peruse the shelves. Often you will find them in the 398s, not with the other picture books. (For a long time I wondered why our library didn't have any fairy tales! Then I found out they were on separate shelves in a different room. Argh.)
Why not choose some that you think look rewarding? Pay attention to whether they are a pleasure to read aloud, and if the illustrations are child-friendly rather than slick or showy. When you've found favorites, you can start collecting them yourself.
Below I am posting ones I love but don't actually own to take pictures of, just because we've always had them available at the library. Maybe I'll have to start rectifying that!
We love the illustrator/reteller Paul Galdone. There's something about his take on things that's very appealing to a child! This Three Little Pigs, for instance, is excellent.
I don't have a favorite particular edition for individual Brer Rabbit stories, but this book will set you up to know them all and be able to tell them. Brer Rabbit is mighty clever and always gets out of a tight spot.
Candice, I think Brer Rabbit is a good example of a collection of stories like yours, the most favorite of which have gotten made into their own separate books. Think about having the story book of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby, and then learning other Uncle Remus stories to tell. You can do it, and to be able to tell a story is even more delightful than reading one.
The illustrator Errol le Cain is a favorite of mine, as is this story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. What a pleasure to read!
Each Peach Pear Plum is a rare contemporary book that is pure delight, combining repetition, whimsicality, and reference to all the favorite old tales. After you read it, you can spend time finding the hidden pictures. This is a favorite baby-shower gift in board-book form.
Lisbeth Zwerger is another favorite with a light, evocative touch. I love her books!
Candice, you are mending the culture with your loving efforts! You are doing great! Keep up the good work.
Readers, what tried-and-true illustrators and stories do you love? Nursery rhymes? Folk tales? Is it helpful for you to see these books I've posted about here?
{Next in this series: Some homeschooling talk.}
*Edited to say that since posting this we have started the Like Mother, Like Daughter Library Project! This is our still leisurely beginning of a comprehensive reading list. Head over there to see what we've got so far.
Jessica says
This post is making me miss all of my childhood books! Currently they are at my parents' house so that my nephews can read them or be read to. Maybe once we have little ones of our own Mama will send them my way! If not, I will have to start building my own collection.
Suzanne says
I still have my Tikki Tikki Tembo book! and I am 40……I loved that book and can still reel off that big long name as if it was only yesterday that I was reading it…………I must dig it out and read it to my children again…I had forgotten about that one….
Rebekka says
Oh, this is just a great post. I live abroad and my husband is native to the country we live in, so I will be singlehandedly making our children (just 2 months until the first shows its face!) bilingual with English (my native language). OBVIOUSLY there's a huge children's literature resource to use, but this post is great with suggestions for the different age groups. Thanks so much!
kathryn says
Such a great post Leila, so full of the 'right' stuff. We do not sign up for our local library reading program because the 'prize' books are always terrible and I mean terrible. Even if I try not to be a literature snob (and try very hard) I can see how these so called books would never ingage the imagination of my child or any child. We too have lots of old books and some wonderful new books but I have never believed they should just read 'anything' for the sake of reading. My oldest son nearly failed Reading once upon a time because he couldn't take the AR tests based on the books he was reading. The teacher refused to allow him to write a report on his books instead. We had to appeal to the principal who was VERY much on our side…to think that a child could fail a class because he was reading books beyond his age group's reading level was beyond me!
Anitra says
I remember getting in trouble 20 years ago for “not paying attention” in reading in elementary school. Why? Because I was either reading ahead in the book or reading another book because I had already finished the story being read aloud in class.
Group reading aloud is a good idea, but can be torturous to a kid who is a better reader than his/her peers… (Even in highschool, I would groan when we were reading “Romeo and Juliet” aloud. It sounded so much better in my head than when my fellow 15-year-olds were stumbling over it!)
Carol says
C.K.Chesterton comments somewhere about how fairy tales help a child believe in the supernatural.
Christina A says
I absolutely love his chapter “The Ethics of Elfland” from his book, Orthodoxy.
Tamim says
Very interesting and helpful, thanks! I especially liked this when you were discussing the young children's books that address specific issues:
“First, there is no way to know exactly what it is that troubles any given child. When you are explicit, you do more harm than good, even introducing issues where there are none! What a dumb thing to do!”
I have been SO frustrated by this. Our library has so many lovely looking, bright picture books that my children are drawn to, and I have to weed through them and refuse the majority. None of my children at the age of 2-4 have been scared of thunderstorms, the dark, monsters in the closet (love that one), or having a babysitter. Neither have they been jealous of their younger siblings or thought they weren't getting enough attention from my husband or I. WHY do almost all of the recently published books feature these things? Or if not those, then they show children being very disrespectful to their parents, running away in stores, throwing things because they are mad, and the list goes on and on… It makes library trips more challenging than they perhaps should be, haha! It was actually really nice to read this because I have been wondering if maybe I'm just being too “picky”. I'm not trying to shelter them from reality, I just don't want to put issues and ideas in their minds that weren't there to begin with and don't need to be. Behavior issues tend to crop up on their own without any help! 🙂
On another note, for sing-songy read aloud books that are enjoyable for the littlest ones I like Sandra Boynton's board books. Thanks so much for this post!
Jamie says
So true! I also notice that many books and movies with girls feature the “nice girl” and the “snobby girls that are being mean to her”. Why do these books constantly set up this drama?
Angela says
Yay for good books! I just ordered some of the Galdone books, and I'm in the process of teaching my 4.5 year old to read. It is a pleasure and I'm so happy to have so many of my books from my childhood. My parents were big believers in quality, and now I have some lovely choices for my girl.
ginger says
How funny, I had The Salad and The Turnip, The Brothers Grimm recorded on CD for our last car trip to Grandpa and Nona's house. I looked back at his seat when the Knight cuts out the heart of one of the birds and keeps it in his breast pocket. “Mommy, What's a breast pocket?” was his only question. Also, I notice that although he didn't understand much, he still wanted to hear the story over and over again? He liked the sound of the woman's voice, nice english accent, and soft and soothing.
I wanted to say I found Librivox a very good resource also for FREE recordings of so much good children's literature. I am not advocating replacing the need for your child to sit close to you or on your lap, however these stories are wonderful during dinner time prep, when your children are coloring at the table, or during car rides, or maybe quiet time in their rooms.
ginger says
Part two with my short list:
These are a few of our favorites:
The Little Golden Book- Classics
A Child's Garden of Verses: By RObert Louis Stevenson Compiled by Cooper Edens
The Classic Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales
Virginia Lee Burton- THe Little House, Mike Mulligan and Steam Shovel, Katy, Maybelle
Beatrix POtter- The Complete Tales- The original and Authorized Edition
In the Town all Year Round- By Rotrant Susanne Berner
The Lion and The Mouse- Jerry Pinkney- It is an Illustrated story only, and the book is just absolutely Beautiful.
Guess How much I love you, by Sam McBratney illustrated by Anita Jeram
Just a few, but most of these make my heart swell, and my kids can't hear them too many times.
ginger says
Lois Lenski- The Small Town and Family Series
priest's wife says
uh-oh Auntie Leila- when you recommend books, I always buy them…thanks for some new ideas.
I think your focus on ages is spot-on! Folk tales before 7, and then on to fairy tales
…being sparing with Andrew Lang- even just for the type-face that is difficult for young eyes- my 11 and 12 year old have read and re-read them all in the past 2 years- not before that, we read other versions
CarlynB says
I'm in a hurry right now, but I just want to say….
Rikki-tikki-tembo-no-sa-rembo-chari-bari-buchi-pip-peri-pembo!
(Did I spell that correctly?)
🙂
_Leila says
Is! at! the! bottom! of! the! well!!!
CarlynB says
Well, I was in a hurry…I see that I called him “Rikki-tikki-tembo” instead of “Tikki-tikki-tembo!
Monica says
Sigh. Every time my feed reader comes up with a post from you, I save it and savor it during nap time. You never disappoint!
My 2yo LOVES Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?- let's call it a modern classic. 🙂 She also loves a beautifully illustrated children's book of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
My four year old enjoys the Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit books, and Kipling's Just So stories. I think I need to introduce some more fairy tale type stories.
Monica says
Also, there are great reading lists on the Ambleside Online and Mater Amabilis sites for the K and Pr K levels.
Jill says
We've really enjoyed the illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman. Little Red Riding Hood is lovely. My girls have also always really enjoyed the Galdone books. We read them over and over.
Emily says
Oh my goodness, YES this is helpful! I struggle with reading to my kids enough, because so much of what we find in the library just isn't appealing to me. The kids like it a little, and I like it not at all, and so we don't read enough. 🙁 But these that you pictured and linked to…these look like books that we could all love together! Thank you!
Andrea says
Thank you for this post. Amazing and so helpful as the mother of young children. Your blog is such a treasure.
Deirdre says
I am Trina Schart Hyman obsessed. She's probably my strongest inspiration whenever I'm aspiring as an artist to someday do fairy tales. Imagine my dismay as a girl when I finally realized that she was in the reach of correspondence (being the art editor of Cricket magazine, to which I had once had a subscription), only to discover that I couldn't write to her because she had recently passed away. I'm hoping to have conversations with her about art and illustration in Heaven.
That version of Twelve Dancing Princesses is so great and the story is probably my favorite! I LOVE IT!
My boyfriend and I were just discussing this very topic the other day! Mom, how are your posts always so timely? 🙂 I'm going to send him the link right now.
lydiacubbedge says
This is fantastic! My three year old loves fairy tales, but doesn't quite “get” them,. I've noticed, though, that they do introduce her to some of the most beautiful illustrations. Much better than her head being filled with images of Disney and Dora! She's also very into Mother Goose. I'm heading to our poorly stocked library tomorrow to unearth some folk tales and Beatrix Potter. Thanks for the help!
Here's a question. Do you know of any beautifully illustrated saint's stories? Nearly all the ones I've come across are cartoonish and kind of blah. Any recommendations?
Melanie B says
The Blackbird's Nest by Jenny Schroedel , a story about St Kevin. One of my favorites. Beautiful story and illustrations and a lovely message about gentleness. Also Tomie de Paola's stories of St Patrick, St Benedict and Scholastica are quite lovely.
Christina A says
Mother Teresa by Demi is lovely.
womanofthehouse says
Thank you for an excellent post! I love the traditional tellings of fairy and folk tales and despise the modern updated ones where all the sticky situations have been smoothed over in a very PCish manner. Have you read _Tending the Heart of Virtue_ by Vigen Guroian? He makes a case for the importance of fairy tales for children. An excellent read.
Stephanie says
oh antie leila — what a timely post for me!! so here is my question for you — when reading my 3.5 year old son Oh What a Busy Day! i always skip the Babes in the Wood story. am i just being a coward? would this be “no big deal” and all is adult foolishness? HELP!!! please, please!! i want your opinion because i trust it!! not my mother's, friends, or even my husband's {on preschool educational matters, only} 🙂
Stephanie says
*auntie
_Leila says
Stephanie,
First, always trust your instincts. Really. I know people say that, and often they mean “and don't listen to anyone” — I don't mean that. But parents know what their kids can take and what will hurt them.
I kinda forgot about that story… truth is, there is a reason there are sad stories for children (so many in Anderson! And even some in Grimm, some weird ones). The reason is, life is sad, very often. Sometimes you just want to cry. I think that today's parents want to protect their children from everything bad, which of course is unrealistic and not doable. The realistic parent knows that it's better to encounter the sadness in a story, which helps you process it, than in real life with a companion who is in denial.
My take on those stories is that when the child can't read, you just skip the story. Later, when he can read, he may read it on his own, and that's fine. You can talk about it — “That's a sad story, isn't it? What do you think?” It's an old story… and have you ever heard the expression, “She's like a baby in the woods?” We don't want our child to be that baby! Taken advantage of and left without any protection… and that's why those stories exist.
Lots to think about.
sibyl says
Trina Schart Hyman, in my opinion, is a master of the art of children's illustrations. I hope that her works end up in museums, as well as in never-out-of-print books.
For slightly older children, may I recommend Rumer Godden? She wrote a wonderful picture book, “Mouse House”, that my parents have. However, she wrote “Miss Happiness and Miss Flower”, a unique and uniquely beautiful story, which my girls have loved to hear read. As older children read-alouds, I cannot stop recommending Eleanor Estes' “Ginger Pye,” a book that is very funny, very interesting to listen to (even my 5-year-old enjoyed listening, although the chapters are long), and which brings tears to my eyes every time I come to the end, in a good way! Estes wrote many other books, all of which are classics either for silent or public reading.
Bella says
Ok Sibyl, since you have just let me in for some spending, (because of course I have to have all the other things Eleanor Estes wrote, now I realise she wrote something other than the truly wonderful 'Ginger Pye'), let me return the favour and check that you know about Rumer Godden's 'Little Plum' (a sequel to 'Miss Happiness and Miss Flower') and 'The Kitchen Madonna'. I think you will like them a lot!
sibyl says
Thanks, Bella! I did not know there was a sequel, but I'll look for it right away. Also I've seen “the Kitchen Madonna” but never read it. I've read a lot of her adult novels, too, enjoying some more than others.
As for Estes, the woman was a genius at portraying a child's mind and view of the world. The one to start with is “The Moffats,” and then the rest about that family.
CarlynB says
When I was a little girl I read Eleanor Estes' “The Moffats” over and over and over again.
Melanie B says
Another lovely Godden book is The Story of Holly and Ivy. It's one of my daughter's favorite books. About a little orphan girl and a doll. A Christmas book that can be read year round.
Christina A says
We have really enjoyed The Hundred Dresses and The Coat-Hanger Christmas Tree, both by Estes. Will have to look into Ginger Pye and Moffats!
sibyl says
But for little ones, under 7, I agree that Andrew Lang might be a little advanced. We get the picture books of fairy tales — did you know there is a Cinderella story in almost every culture? We've read versions from the Caribbean, Cambodia, Vietnam, Mexico, and Africa, all well-illustrated. Do look in the fairy/folk tale section for them. A great illustrator in this area is Robert San Souci.
One last recommendation: I truly believe that every Catholic child should be read George MacDonald, even though his prose is harder (at first) than C.S. Lewis. The two I mean are “The Princess and the Goblin,” and “The Princess and Curdie.” These are books that appeal to boys and girls equally, as there are both a boy and girl protagonist. The thing is, these fairy tales are completely shot through with allusions to faith, the sacraments, grace, and the high adventure of Christian life. My kids were able to listen a chapter at a time by the time they were 6 or 7, although you have to explain certain things because of the Victorian English.
Heidi says
His “Gifts of the Christ Child” is also very much worth a look. It's a collection of shorter stories, many of them (though not all of them) fairy tales. The stories are all over the place, age/level-wise, but I ate up “The Light Princess,” among others, as a seven-year-old.
Jen says
I loved the “My Book House” series when I was a child, and now am sharing them with my children. There are 12 volumes of beautifully illustrated collected stories, including fairy tales, poems, and other tales. They build on each other, so the first book in the series is for toddlers and the reading level becomes progressively more challenging in each volume. Olive Beaupre Miller, the publisher and editor of the series had great criteria for the selections she included (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Beaupre_Miller)” target=”_blank”> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Beaupre_Miller)” target=”_blank”>(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Beaupre_Miller). The set we have is from the 1930s, though there is an earlier version.
The Marcia Brown books are also wonderful: The Wild Swans, Cinderella, Stone Soup.
Also, does anyone have a recommendation for a well-illustrated Mother Goose?
Mrs. Pickles says
Yes! When I was growing up we had a gorgeously illustrated version, called “The Real Mother Goose,” I think. I can't find the exact book on Amazon, but doing a search on that title will bring up something similar. I loved the old-fashioned illustrations as a child — so lavish and colorful!
Jen says
Thank you! All the new illustrations just don't cut it for me!
Christina A says
We like The Classic Mother Goose edited by Armand Eisen, illustrated by various artists.
Pippajo says
After reading the comments before me, I see my favorites have already been mentioned. But I will mention them again anyway. Beatrix Potter's stories are among my most favorite ever! Some gracious person gave me a volume of her complete works as a shower gift when Redheaded Snippet was born and I was lucky enough to get my hands on a few animated movies made from some of them (RHS nearly wore them out). She also loved Goodnight Moon and Poems and Prayers for the Very Young.
When Snippet was a little older (around 5, I think) we bought a boxed set of both Grimms' and Anderson's fairy tales for her. I knew other mothers that thought they were too gruesome for children but Snippet loved them just as I always had.
As she got even older and Man-Cub came along, we acquired The Chronicles of Narnia, then the Harry Potter books, then The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings trilogy. And I'm not sure if these fit the category but our family also loves the Little House series (which Man-Cub and I are reading through at the moment) and Anne of Green Gables books. There is also a poem book, Favorite Poems Old and New (ed. Helen Ferris Tibbets) that my mother read to me and my sisters until it had to be held together with a giant rubber band. I recently found it on Amazon and bought copies for each of my sisters for Christmas (but forgot to get one for myself).
I agree with G.K. Chesterton that fairy tales help children (and adults) to believe in the supernatural. I think children have a harder time believing in the most supernatural of beings (God) when they've been contained in a purely natural, sanitized, concrete world. We live in a mortal, temporal world but we are immortal and supernatural. That's why things like fairy tales resonate deep within us and help us understand the supernatural world better.
Mrs. Fordyce says
So many lovely, lovely books! I still find my teenagers in the room listening as I read some of our favorites to the younger three. Our favorites have included the Tim books (Tim to the Rescue, Tim and Lucy go to Sea, Tim to the Lighthouse,etc.) by Edward Adrizzone, the Snipp, Snapp, and Snurr and Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka books by Maj Lindman, and the Orpheline books by Natalie Savage Carlson. These are books that I will never, never give away! Great post, loved reading everyone else's favorites!
sibyl says
Oh, Mrs. F, the Lindman books!! How could I forget them! I love these books, and so do my little people. I highly recommend them.
Rosa says
Although I'm not a mother (yet!) I've been caring for children for as long as I can remember. An important thing I've learned, both from from being a kid and from working directly with children and their families, is the power of stories. I loved fairy tales, especially Hans Christian Andersen, when I learned to read on my own. But even before I could read, I enjoyed hearing stories. A parent reading aloud cannot be dismissed, but another great way to enjoy stories is through story tapes and CDs. Since I was very young, my mom would put in Jim Weiss' story tapes before she put us to bed, in the car, or when we needed some quiet time. In my opinion, Jim's storytelling skills are among the very best, and I would highly recommend his CDs. They range from bedtime stories to fables to fairy tales to adaptions of literary classics like “A Tale of Two Cities” or “A Midsummer Night's Dream.” All the CDs can be found on his website: http://www.greathall.com/.
Good luck and enjoy!
CarlynB says
We have Tending the Heart of Virtue by Vigen Guroian and I highly recommend it.
We have these books by Russell Hoban and we love them:
Nothing to Do
Harvey's Hideout
Charlie the Tramp
Hoban is also the author of the “Frances” books which I think I've seen in a bookstore recently, but the others are harder to find.
We read so many books by Margaret Wise Brown when my son was very small, he thought ALL our books were written by her! We loved Wait Til the Moon is Full, illustrated by Garth Williams.
Valerie says
For my daughters, I read traditional nursery-rhymes; Beatrix Potter; Enid Blyton stories by the score; the Just-so stories; the original Winnie-the-Pooh, House at Pooh Corner, and A.A. Milne's poetry books; “Katy” and “Little Women”; “Anne of Green Gables” and the sequels (my own childhood's books and earlier). Both DD's now have a love of good literature. I avoided many very 'modern' books that seem to normalise regrettable circumstances or behaviour. Thankfully, there are plenty of wholesome and charming books around.
Amy Caroline says
Oh Thank you!! This is a great post. Now I have some more books to look for!
Candice says
Thank you, especially about the library thing. I'd wondered why I couldn't find any traditional stories in the children's section, but we went today and right in the 398s they were there. We filled a bag and I'm reading them while the kids are napping, and we'll take them out and enjoy them these next couple of weeks.
This post really got to the heart of my email. It's hard when you really don't have a great background to go on, and one school of thought says one thing and another says another, and it just gets confusing.
Anyway, thanks again for answering. My amazon wishlist is brimming, and I have a plan to scour the used book racks this weekend. 🙂
dneesi says
Oh, my! The second photo – Best In Children's Books – sure brought back memories! That was in my house growing up (in the mid 50's-60's) and seeing it took me back in an instant. Great literature never ages, it just keeps on dealing out delight! Just had to add my two cents' worth for your photos, reading recommendations and favorites list. Read on!
LJ says
The part about babies made me laugh, because I'm currently taking care of a very small child and over the course of the day I run out of songs! A travesty! I'm determined to learn some really great songs for small children before I have my own little family! If nothing else, it keeps ME entertained while feeding little people for the bajillionth time in a row! 🙂
Christena says
I enjoyed the post. I will also say that you have been a lifesaver to me with your smart, practical advice. I am a wife (no children) who was so completely clueless and overwhelmed about keeping house that I just didn't do it for several years (we both work outside the home). My “strategy” was to just keep things manageable & eat out a lot & pay some one to come in and clean every two weeks. Since I have been reading your blog, I have learned SO MUCH about laundry & cooking & meal planning and keeping a clean (enough) house. I mean, my goodness — I never even know how to do laundry, really! So, I think of this as the motherly/house-keeping training I never got growing up. And now that I sort of know what I am doing, I think it is not only invaluable (try not to laugh at how I have lived like the necessary things were optional), but enjoyable….all thanks to you! Thank you for your blog!
Sheila says
Our favorites (at 15 months old) are Go, Dog, Go, Love You Forever, and all the Dr. Seuss books (particularly the alphabet book, Hop on Pop, and Fox in Socks. My son demands them so often I think I'm going to have to find more books … I'm going a little nuts reading the same ones over and over!
Laura says
Always wonderful encouragement to good thinking and parenting–Thank you Leila.
I think it was Neil Postman who wrote something like (and I'm paraphrasing for sure), “Reading fairy-tales aloud introduces a child to the evils, difficulties, and sorrows of the real world in the gentlest way–mediated by the familiar and safe voice of mother.”
I recently wrote a post about reading, including links to a few good online sources for free audiobooks. If you or your readers are interested, you can read the post here:
http://welivethegivenlife.blogspot.com/2011/06/op…
Christina A says
Here are a few of my favorite posts about “scary” elements in children’s stories:
https://walterwangerinjr.wordpress.com/2016/09/27/the-robber-under-the-bed/
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/04/why-i-write-scary-stories-for-children/478977/
https://storywarren.com/whatever-is-pure-and-lovely/
Hope you enjoy these additions to the conversation!
Mrs. Fordyce says
Elsa Beskow! How could I forget Elsa Beskow? Her books are fantastical, but in a nice, non frightening way. Her drawings are delightful, and my children ask for them over and over. Christopher's Harvest and Pelle and the Blue Suit and Peter in Blueberry Land are some of our favorites.
Barbara says
You have inspired me, Leila, old mama that I am! I had quickly read through your post this morning and as a library visit was on the agenda today I tucked it away and searched out the fairy tale shelves when we got there. Tonight my very own little princess went to bed with the beautiful rich language and the gorgeous illustrations of a new-to-us version of Cinderella swimming in her head. My humble thanks, dear lady.
Barbara says
And by the way, they WERE in the 398s!
Sarah says
I'm such a bibliophile, this post is right up my alley, Leila!
I too have a four-year-old, two-year-old (both boys) and newborn (girl!) so am definitely in the same age range as Candice! For us, we've been trying to focus on finding good stories and role models for boys, especially, and have definitely found us reading more “classics” than modern children's stories in the mix. Just trying to find stories where they can either learn lessons, respect and/or worked with adults and other children, didn't whine or act overtly naughty, and if they did, (ahem, Little Boy who Cried Wolf, I'm talking to you!) there were consequences to poor behavior. I've added to our “wish list” from this post but these are our house favorites based upon interest age and up:
Ages 18 months up:
We liked the Sandra Boynton and Eric Carle books for Board Books the best (especially Hippos Go Berserk and The Going to Bed Book by Boynton)
Dr. Seuss (especially Green Eggs and Ham, the ABC Book, Hop on Pop, Go Dog Go! and One Fish, Two Fish . . . )
Henry & Mudge
Harry the Dirty Dog
Morris the Moose
Little Bear
Richard Scarry (especially The Best Storybook Ever!)
Classic Treasury of Curious George (the original stories)
Age Four and up:
Goldilocks & The Three Bears as illustrated by Jan Brett
The McElderry Aesop's Fables (a new favorite)
The Littles
Brer Rabbit
and we've been loving, lately, the “Easy Reader Classic” versions of both “Treasure Island,” “Jungle Book” and “Tom Sawyer.” This particular version breaks down the classics into beginning reader books with illustrations on each page. It's a great intro to chapter books as the original story is broken down into six little books so we've been reading one a night in order. I bought mine at Barnes & Noble and I know they're in the 50% clearance section right now as they're phasing them out at my local store, but they're still available online.
And, some whimsical, modern ones that we just enjoy are “When Ruby Tried to Grow Candy,” by Valorie Fisher, “How I Became a Pirate” by Melinda Long, and “Art and Max” by David Weisner.
I'm looking forward to getting into Beatrix Potter, Elsa Beskow, Astrid Lindgren and Cecily Barker with my little girl . . . they've been on my wish list for far too long!
Best,
Sarah
PS – What is funny is between reading this post and posting this comment we put the boys to bed. What did my four year old ask for? Goodnight Moon, which we haven't read in at least a year! 🙂 An oldie but a goodie! 🙂
Christina says
Oh my, Auntie Leila. Amen, amen, amen. Just for the record, Tina Nunnally, (who translated the BEST version of Kristin Lavransdatter) has done a lovely translation of Hans Christian Anderson stories. It looks like it's for grownups, the way it's printed in an adult-ish paperback version, but there are lots of good stories in there that work for kids, exquisitely translated by TIna. Love her.
Jamie says
All the Sam Campbell books about Inky and Salt and Pepper and Hi-Bub….You have got to add those to your children's library. They are so delightful for all ages. My 18-year old enjoys them and so do I. Go to ” target=”_blank”>http://www.samcampbell.com and you'll see what I mean!
Brenda says
As I scan the comments here I see that some of my favorites are mentioned! Really, anything by Beatrix Potter is good…..yes, even the story of the bad rabbit who ended up without his whiskers & tail, after stealing the gentle rabbit's carrot!
Some others that my children especially enjoyed are The Story of May by Mordicai Gerstein. Each calendar month is personified, & May (a little girl) gets to meet her relatives as she goes through the year. The pictures are yummy. They also like Heckedy Peg, by Audrey & Don Wood. “I'm Heckedy Peg….I've lost my leg….let me in!” (to be read with a cackling voice). The illustrations are gorgeous, conveying a sense of warmth with the use of browns & golds. And there are little details my children found that fascinated them.
Nursery rhymes, songs….lots of songs….and yes, fairy tales too. All of these, by their repetitive nature, help children learn to memeorize things, to categorize, & to see cause & effect.
Best of luck to Candace as she opens the literary doors for her children. It's such fun watching children grow & learn!
Brenda
Anne says
I was reading Each Peach Pear Plum to Jack last night. We always talk about all of the animals along the way. I pointed to the family of ducks and said “what does a duck say?” (a question he has been able to answer for over a year) and he said “This duck says, 'mamma, my I go look for some food? and the mamma says 'Nooo!” We both laughed heartily at his joke and moved on the the frog…
I do wonder though…does he think I deny him food?? eek.
Charming's Mama says
My boys love being read too. Current favorites include Bill Peet, Dr. Suess, Eric Carl and Beatrix Potter. My 21 month old will even sit still through some of the longer ones that my 4 1/2 year old loves.
I love seeing what other people are reading to their kids, thanks for sharing.
Mrs. Pickles says
Wow, so many awesome suggestions here! I'm so glad you posted about this — I've been trying to fill our house with good library books this summer and have been floundering for inspiration! I see that pretty much all our favorite stories, authors, and illustrators have been mentioned already (LOVE LOVE LOVE Trina Schart Hyman!!), but I must put in a good word for Paul Zelinsky as well. He has illustrated some fairy tales just beautifully — his tower in _Rapunzel_ is AMAZING. And has anyone mentioned Don and Audrey Wood yet? Their _King Bidgood_ is a huge hit in our house. I should mention that I discovered these and so many other great children's books thanks to Elizabeth Foss's booklists in her book, _Real Learning_.
Nancy says
If you're looking for lists of tried-and-true books, check out those included in books by E.D. Hirsch. He authored the “What Every 2nd Grader Should Know” series, that goes through all the school grade levels. He includes great works of literature at younger ages than you may think are possible (my 4th grader read Treasure Island this year), but children are usually far more capable of understanding than we give them credit for! My sons have read A Wrinkle in Time, Pollyanna, and many other classics — I hope that's helpful for you!
Celeste says
Just wanted to answer the commenter who asked for a good illustrated version of Mother Goose: The Glorious Mother Goose by Cooper Edens is indeed glorious. Blanche Fisher Wright's The Real Mother Goose (a classic version) is wonderful too; though I do wish it had even more illustrations, the ones that are there are delightful. I know the Iona Opie/Rosemary Wells collections are very popular for younger children, though I don't like them as well as the others I mentioned.
I absolutely loved this post, Leila. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on age appropriateness and fairy tales; like Candice, I have struggled with knowing what and when as my children are getting older (my two oldest are 5 and 4 now) and more interested in “longer” stories.
Amy says
I have a 13-month-old who LOVES books, as in he can sit by himself for a good 30 minutes at times and flip through his board books (with me checking on him constantly of course). He is constantly signing “more” when we read to him. There are several books that we received that drive my husband or I crazy (for various reasons, some you've mentioned), and I would like to buy a few more along the lines of the ones my son likes. He loves sing-songy books like you described and one of his favorites is “Mr. Brown Can Moo, can you?” By Dr. Seuss. Can you suggest a couple more titles for his age? Also, does anyone have suggestions on how or where I can find out about used book sales? Thanks!
_Leila says
Amy, keep following our Library Project posts. All the books pictured in this post here can be found by clicking on the pictures.
Used book sales: http://www.booksalefinder.com/