Friday, April 05, 2013

Show Us Your Life: Favourite Kids' Books

Today Kelly is talking about a topic near and dear to my heart -- kids' books. I have been collecting kids' books for well over twenty years, long before I had my own children. One of my favourite jobs was working at Chapters, the Canadian bookstore chain, in the kids' section and being able to recommend great books to customers. I loved it! My dream job is to become a children's librarian. I have such fond memories of my childhood libraries. So let's get started.

Sandra Boynton is an old favourite. I find her earlier works wittier and more entertaining but I still love most of what she has written. And "Moo, Baa, La, La, La" helped both Sam and Rachel learn animal sounds. Win-win!
Moo, Baa, La La La!The Going-To-Bed Book
(images from here)
Everywhere Babies is a book my friend send to me when we found out we were pregnant with Sam. It is an AWESOME book to take you through baby's first year and one of my favourite new discoveries since having kids. I'm keeping this one in my back pocket as a baby shower gift!
Everywhere Babies 
(image from here)
Mem Fox is another favourite. Her books are just so beautiful. "Time For Bed" was Sam's bedtime story for months and months. I just love it.
http://dynamic.indigoimages.ca/books/0547408560.jpg?altimages=true&width=360&quality=85&maxheight=360&lang=en&z=107692068Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes padded board book
(images from here)
Of course Dr. Seuss is an old favourite. Some of our Dr. Seuss books were mine when I was a toddler. Right now, Rachel's favourite book is "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" And Sam has been a fan of the "A B C Book" for ages.
Dr. Seuss's Abc: An Amazing Alphabet Book!Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?: Dr. Seuss's Book Of Wonderful NoisesThe Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book Of Opposites
(images from here)
Another of Sam's current favourites is Richard Scarry books. Again, some of the copies we own are from my childhood and falling apart but Sam adores them. Right now he LOVES the ones below.
Richard Scarry's Cars And Trucks And Things That Go (richard Scarry)Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day?Richard Scarry's Best Counting Book Ever/ El mejor libro para contar de Richard Scarry
(images from here)
I am so excited to introduce my kids to some of my favourite young adult books too. I remember the first time I discovered Laura Ingalls Wilder. I've read her books so much my copies are falling apart. And those are the ones I will read to my kids too!
Little House Colln Full Color Box Set: Full-Colour Box Set 
 (image from here
Another more recent author I've discovered is Tamora Pierce. She has great books for young girls with strong female characters.
First Test: Book 1 Of The Protector Of The Small QuartetMagic Steps: The Circle Opens Book 1Alanna: The First Adventure
(images from here)
Two of my other favourite young adult series are Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series and Norma Johnston "The Keeping Days" series. Both of these series are hard to find these days, especially Norma Johnston's. When I realized I could no longer get them out of my favourite library I went online and bought them all. They are both about girls growing up in the early 1900's (around 1906-1918) and I LOVE them. If I could go back and live in any time in the world I would pick around 1910.
 Betsy-tacyThe Keeping Days (Keeping Days, #1)
(Betsy-Tacy image from here)   ("The Keeping Days" image from here)

Let me know if I've introduced you to any new interesting books and leave me a note if you have a book I absolutely have to read. I'm always looking for new books and I just LOVE kids' books. As I may have already mentioned :)

6 comments:

  1. I can't wait to check out some of these. And, of course, Dr. Seuss is a favorite in our house, too!

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  2. I've never heard of these before, but I look forward to checking them out. =) My SIL is going to school to be a children's librarian.

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    1. Oooohhh -- I should look into that when I need to go back to work.

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  3. The Little House books are so wonderful.

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    1. I still remember the first time I started reading them. My dad was reading it to us as a bedtime story and I just couldn't wait for the next night. It was "On The Banks Of Plum Creek."

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  4. I always love finding other Betsy-Tacy fans! Part of me still can't believe they never got as popular as the Little House books or Anne of Green Gables, especially since I think they're so much better. And I would love to visit Mankato someday to visit the Betsy & Tacy houses. It pretty much the number one reason I'd want to visit Minnesota someday.

    I haven't heard of The Keeping Days before, but since you compared it to the Betsy-Tacy books I'll have to look into it.

    And as for a final suggestion, I'd look into the All-of-a-Kind Family books. They're about a family of all girls growing up in New York in the early 1900s. What I loved about them, was that they were Jewish, and it was fun to read how they celebrate similar holidays 100 years ago.

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Thank you for being interested in my life as I blog it and for leaving a comment. Comments make me happier than reading a good book and drinking a cold Coke. Almost :)