Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina: the Classic Read-Aloud Kids Beg to Perform

This is the rare picture book where the kids don’t just listen. 

They take over. Caps for Sale turns a quiet bedtime into a full-blown performance, and it happens faster than you think.

However, this story starts at a very different point. 

Before the fun exploded. 

Jenny Linsky and the Cat Club: A Little Black Cat, a Red Scarf, and Esther Averill's World Kids Don’t Forget

Jenny Linsky is shy in a way kids instantly recognize. Not “cute shy.” Real shy. 

And that red scarf? It becomes a tiny suit of armor.

Jenny Linsky - let me whisper in your ear.

       My twins adore you.

Come, come closer dear.

       My girl and boy love you.

You touched their young hearts.

They would give anything to put their small arms around you.

Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor: a Read-Aloud That Sneaks In Real Vocabulary

Nancy doesn’t “teach words.” She shows off words. And somehow your child ends up using them at breakfast like it’s completely normal. 

That’s the secret power of Fancy Nancy.

Bonjour à tous!

You look glamorous my ladies!

And you, gentlemen, you are quite dapper today!

What Do People Do All Day? (Richard Scarry): The Secret to Making Busytown Come Alive

What Do People Do All Day?

This book isn’t meant to be “read straight through.” It’s meant to be explored like a town map. 

Slow down, point, narrate what your child is already noticing, and Busytown suddenly starts moving.

But, wait, I am getting ahead of myself. 

Scaredy Squirrel (Melanie Watt): The Funniest Picture Book for Kids Who Worry

Scaredy Squirrel insists that everyone wash their hands with antibacterial soap before reading this book.

Fine. Do it. 

Because once you start, your child will recognize themselves… and then laugh at themselves… and that’s the magic.

Usborne Young Puzzle Books Review: The Padded “Puzzle Castle” Kids Actually Stick With

If you’ve ever bought a “puzzle book” that your child abandons after page three… this is the opposite. These Usborne padded hardbacks feel like a toy, but they behave like a book. And kids actually come back to them.

Update: Since I published this post on the Usborne Young Puzzle books, the publisher has come out with a new twist on these books in the form of "sticker" puzzle books.
 

Three Usborne Puzzle Books
packed with visual challenges

These sticker books are identical to the originals, but also include more than one hundred stickers that young readers can use. 

Madeline Treasury by Ludwig Bemelmans: the Read-Aloud That Hooks Kids Fast

I still remember the exact page where Madeline stopped being “a character” and became a person for my twins. 

One page. One smile. Done. 

If you want Madeline to land aloud, start here.

 I still remember that breakthrough moment.

The fleeting second when Madeline become much, much more than a simple picture book character in the eyes of my twins.

Tiddler (The Fish Who Cried Wolf) by Julia Donaldson: A Rhyming Read-Aloud Kids Beg For

If you’re looking for a picture book with a message, well… this really isn’t it.

And who cares? This one is rhythm, color, giggles, and a little fish who can improvise like a jazz musician.

John Steptoe’s Stevie: a 32-page picture book that sneaks up and breaks your heart

Hold on to your chair, my dear reader, today you are travelling back to 1969.

Why, you ask?

Simply to read a picture book that brought tears to my eyes last night.

The Complete Adventures of Curious George (Rey): The One Treasury Every Preschool Home Needs

Do you live in one of the few lucky homes that does not have this book? Enjoy it while it lasts. Because once Curious George moves in, he doesn’t leave. 

Are you a parent of an incredibly fortunate preschooler that has never (yet) listened to a Curious George story? 

Cover of The Complete Adventures
of Curious George collector’s edition
by Margret and H. A. Rey
classic yellow cover with George

I say this... because you are in for a real treat. This treasury is the Koh-i-Noor of read-alouds.

The World of Peter Rabbit (Complete Collection): 23 little books, one big dose of nostalgia

Nostalgia.

The World Of Peter Rabbit,
The Complete Collection of Original Tales 1-23

Sigh.

A wistful desire to return to a former time in one's life.

Deeeeeeep sigh.

We are all holding back the years.

Holding back the smell of mom's home-made donuts sprinkled with powdered sugar. Pushing back the memory of a chest full of kid's magazines that were bound together to keep them from falling apart.

Everyone has childhood scenes stacked in their mind, all of which define nostalgia much better than any dictionary.

Is there any common unit to measure nostalgia?

Maybe not, but I am certain that if our collective childhood memories were distilled, the end product would invariably be .... Beatrix Potter.

And a certain Peter Rabbit. 

The Seven Silly Eaters: Read-Aloud Joy (with a Recipe for Mrs. Peters’ Birthday Cake!)

The Seven Silly Eaters is a picture book that will take you by surprise.

I came across it almost by chance, it cropped up while I was looking for books that would hopefully help to defuse a "fussy eater" situation in my own home.

Sometimes parents hope that humor is the best medicine.

Well, we do try everything...

My daughter was probably in the Top 5 fussy eaters in the world (well.. it seemed that way, anyway) during her first three years of life, so I constantly kept an eye open for books that could make light of during the endless hours that we spent "eating" every day.

 Although my excuse was to try to find a book that would help her overcome the eating problem, it probably was more of a help to me ... this effort to find a book that would magically solve the fussy eating.

After I turned on the "fussy eater" book filter in my head and started browsing online offerings, one day I came across Mary Ann Hoberman's The Seven Silly Eaters.

Five Multi-Author Picture Book Treasuries That Change Everything: Loving Children’s Books Without Going Broke

One of the simplest ways to save money on children’s books (without lowering read-aloud quality) is to buy true picture-book treasuries. What I mean by "true" is the kind that collect multiple authors and illustrators, not just one series or one creator. 

A good treasury gives you a stack of keepers in one volume: stories that survive repeat readings, and art that still feels alive the tenth time at bedtime.

In this post I compare five major picture-book treasuries, each with a different “superpower,” so you can choose the one that fits your family.

Most “best treasuries” lists are really one-author collections in a big jacket. These aren’t.

A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee: the calmest heroes in the most chaotic picture book I know

At first glance, A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee looks almost too quiet to work. 

A square man. A small dog. A very ordinary camper. 

And yet, once you start reading it aloud, something clicks - and suddenly the entire room is leaning forward.

NYRB Children’s Collection 40-Book Set - Why I Bought It (and Still Adore It)

Post update:

Since I ordered my book set and after writing this blog post, I noticed that the NYR Children's Collection changes the content of its book set from time to time, as they published many more books from the moment when I purchased my set. 

This means that the specific book set that is on sale today may contain a different number of books than at the time of my purchase, as well as different titles.

When Findus Was Little and Disappeared

Do you think it is OK for a grown-up to feel jealous of a green-eyed cat?

But, wait. I am getting ahead of myself.

This week I am reviewing a fantastically illustrated read-aloud book that my kids adore although I never read it aloud to them.

This vibrant book about an old farmer and his talented cat was authored and illustrated by one of the most significant Swedish illustrators for children - Sven Nordqvist. 

(Interesting titbit: Sven Nordqvist studied architecture and worked as a lecturer in architecture at Sweden's Lund University before launching his career as an illustrator of children’s books almost three decades ago!)

One Morning in Maine

I hate Robert McCloskey!

I mean - I "hate" him.

When he weaves his picture book story magic, my kids are immediately transformed into two angels - right in front of my eyes.


But when I try a similar trick, to grab their attention with a children's story that I conjure up from my mind, I just get a firm "Dad, leave!" accompanied with an outstretched small index finger - pointing out of the room.

The Perfect Bear

  

Is there something more noble that we can share with a child than a book about unconditional love?

I don't think so.

But I have an admission to make. The Perfect Bear was an impulsive purchase. One of those rare buys on a whim that turns out - excellent!

Did I know anything about the author or illustrator? Nope.


Zen Shorts (Jon J. Muth): The Calm, Wise Picture Book That Changes the Mood at Bedtime

When I bought this book, I expected to get an engaging story with beautiful watercolors. 

A quiet moment of balance
Cherry blossoms drifting softly
Zen wisdom for children 
Jon J Muth calmness
Gentle mindfulness before bedtime

What I got was something rarer: a picture book that quietly slows everyone down, kids included.

When we received the book - the beautiful illustrations became just one of the things that moved us. 

Zen Shorts is much, much, more than eye candy.

It is a life philosophy.

Manners Can Be Fun by Munro Leaf

Fun and good manners. 

Manners Can Be Fun by Munro Leaf

That is what you should be looking for. 

A marriage of the unlikely wedding partners. 

My kids, like most kids, have a sixth sense that allows them to detect any attempt at parental lecturing... and then the brain switches off. 

You can detect that look in their eyes.  

I still remember when I read aloud the the title of this book to my three-year old twins - I saw THE look. 

They were going to switch off. 

That sixth sense allows them to unmistakably detect when a "lesson" is about to be delivered by a grown-up and kids start shutting down their channels of communication. 

You have around 30 seconds before you lose them.