Today as I sat on the couch reading "I've Been Working on the Railroad" to Sophia…for the third or fourth time today…I started thinking about the picture books that have been the most loved at our house. Our young children seem to love story books that are based on children's songs, best of all. We sing the stories to them instead of reading them. As our children become familiar with the stories/songs, they sing along with us. I like to leave out a word here and there just to hear a little chirpy two year old voice "fill in the blank." For example, "Fee fi fiddle le eye ohhhh, Strummin' on the old……..Sophia fills in the last word…"banjo!" Especially fun for me is to hear my older children singing stories to the younger ones. I'm sure that Sophie has heard her most recent favorite, I've Been Working on the Railroad, at least three or four more times today, from her big brothers and sisters. How can they say no when she asks so sweetly (and kind of demanding at the same time) "READ ME!"
A few other favorite story songbooks are:
Five Little Ducks (Raffi)
If You're Happy and You Know it
Ten in the Bed (of course I can't find it to get the author of the edition that we have, but there are many cute editions available)
All Things Bright and Beautiful (Ashley Bryan)
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Nadine Bernard Westcott)
We have other picture books in our home that have been favorites for the almost twenty-two years that we have been raising children. There are a few that have been literally "read to death," or maybe chewed and slobbered on beyond repair is a better description. One of these is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? I think we are on our third copy of that one.
Here is a small list of our favorite picture books. I'm sure there are more but these few come to mind as books that I have shared and will continue to read with every one of our children, and someday our grandchildren.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do you See? (Eric Carle)
Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle)
The Little Engine That Could (Watty Piper)
Oh The Places You'll Go (Dr. Seuss)
The Rainbow Fish (Marcus Pfister)
You Are Special (Max Lucado)
Horton Hatches an Egg (Dr. Seuss)
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (Dr. Seuss)
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub (Audrey Wood)
Are You My Mother? (P.D. Eastman)
Stellaluna (Janell Cannon)
Alligator Baby (Robert Munsch)
I'll Love You Forever (Robert Munsch)
Quick as a Cricket (Audrey Wood)
Make Way for Ducklings (Robert McCloskey)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Bill Martin Jr.)
…any beautiful editions of fairy tales and nursery rhymes that we find at our local library. There are so many.
No comments:
Post a Comment