My Top Five: Baby and Children's Books - Crystal

We're starting off a new week with a fun new topic: top five baby and children's books. The Princess LOVES books. I don't mean she likes us to read her one every night, I mean she has been known to spend an hour in her room "reading" to herself. We're constantly on the search for new books which is why I'm hoping that after you read my list, you'll share some of the favorites at your home as well. My list is in no particular order, it's just five of the books that are most requested here in our house.

1. Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard – When Mommy, I mean Bird, wakes up he is grumpy. Too grumpy to eat, too grumpy to play, and too grumpy to fly. This means he’s walking. Along the way, he meets up with some friends and eventually he finds himself in the middle of a game of Follow the Leader. His grumpy mood is lifted and Bird ends up inviting everyone over to his nest for a snack, a worm. The Princess and I picked this book up at the bookstore before Christmas when we were looking to spend her birthday gift card money. I think I find it most amusing because I've had days like Bird's before. Days where I'm in a really grumpy mood until The Princess does something funny or cute and suddenly I can't even remember why I was grumpy in the first place. I also love the bright and colorful illustrations. Most importantly, it’s a very quick read. It’s a great book on a night when The Princess requests 5 books to be read before she will go to sleep.

2. Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw – The Princess received this book last spring from her great aunt Susan. While The Princess doesn't truly appreciate all the humor, both my husband and I laugh a little as these silly sheep work to get themselves out of trouble while joy riding in their Jeep. It doesn’t end well for the poor sheep as they are forced to sell their Jeep, cheap. We’re also big fans of Sheep in a Shop and Sheep out to Eat.

3. The Selfish Crocodile by Faustin Charles – I cannot even begin to count the number of times that we’ve read this book. It’s about a very selfish crocodile who doesn’t want anyone to come near his river which forces the other animals to have to travel for miles and miles just to get a drink of water. One day the crocodile wakes up with a toothache and learns a lesson about friendship and sharing. There are some books that The Princess requests to be read over and over that make me want to jump out the window, but even I don’t tire of The Selfish Crocodile. It’s well written and entertainingly illustrated.

Click on Read More to check out the rest of the list!

4. Doggies by Sandra Boynton - I think that I have purchased a copy of this book for every baby that I know who has been born in the last 3 years. We have just about every Sandra Boynton board book ever written, but the one that made The Princess laugh the most when she was first getting into books was Doggies. It's really just a very simple counting book; each page adds a new dog with a new bark. As far as board books go, it was a lot of fun to read and got a giggle out of The Princess every time. I can’t wait for Baby Ike to be old enough to enjoy having it read to him.

5. When I was a Girl I Dreamed by J.P. Matott and Margaret Baker – I received this book as a shower gift before The Princess was born. It’s another book that has been read countless times, and while I eventually tire of reading it over and over, I never tire of the great message that it’s sending my daughter. Reach higher than the stars, and your dreams will come true. Despite her name, The Princess is anything but. We are trying very hard to raise her to be confident and independent and to never rely on a prince to come and rescue her. This beautifully illustrated book does a great job of encouraging girls to think about building robots, traveling to space or becoming the President. I will read this book until I’m blue in the face if that’s what it takes to make The Princess recognize that she truly can be anything she wants to be.

That’s the top five here in our home. I tried to choose books that have stood the test of time. We have dozens and dozens of books that have all made the rotation a time or two, but these are the ones that The Princess consistently goes back to time and time again. I also tried to think of ones that I enjoy reading as much as The Princess enjoys listening to them. Please share some of your favorites as I'm of the belief that you can never have too many books!