Shelby Stidham

My Favorite Children’s Books

Remember when you were a little kid and one of your favorite things to do was get your favorite story read to you? I do and I loved it. I know a lot of people hate reading, but because my mom made it so fun when I was young, I’ve grown to love it as an adult. And now I’m taking an upper-division English class for my concentration in my major, and it’s all about children’s literature. It’s quite possibly the most enjoyable class I’ve taken yet. I mean, a lot of work goes into the class but the fact that the work is based around two great things (children and books) makes it well worth it… and fun! If you had to pick your top five books from when you were a child, what would you choose? It’s tough for me because I had so many favorite books, but my top three K-2 books would probably be as follows:

1. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.  Every young child loves rhyming poetry, and Shel made everything so fun and easy to read. There’s a poem in there about not wanting to go to school and it starts out “I cannot go to school today said little Peggy Ann McKay..” and that was my favorite poem! She makes all these excuses and then it ends up being Saturday or Sunday.. very cute poem. Quite honestly, I love everything Shel Silverstein did. Did you know he wrote Grammy-award winning songs for Johnny Cash? Now you do

2.  If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff. I’m not sure if it’s the cute story line or the great illustrations in this book but something about it makes it not just memorable but an all-time favorite. The little mouse in the story is so cute. This book was written in 1985, the year I was born, and is STILL a best-seller. I never read If You Give a Moose a Muffin or If You Give a Pig a Pancake but I’m sure they’re great, too. When I have children, I will be sure to buy the series!

3. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I love this story! I remember getting it read to me in kindergarten and liking it so much that I begged my mom to buy it. The story is so cute; a little boy who is scared of the monster but then tames him. Adorable! The illustrations in this book are so perfect for it, too. It’s a modern fantasy for young children. Can you believe it was written in 1963?! Another one that has stood the test of time.

Runners Up:

Stone Soup by Ann McGovern. The pictures are a bit creepy but the story is great. The original story (with the soldiers and the townspeople) definitely gets a better message across, but this version is entertaining and quite wonderful.

Bony Legs by Joanna Cole. This book opens up a child’s imagination within the first few pages. It’s a great story of a little girl escaping Baba Yaga (a Russian witch) and having friends (cat, dog, comb, mirror) help her along the way. It’s not on the approved list the State of California put out for teachers to abide by, but I’ll still read it to my children.

The Berenstain Bears Series by Stan, Jan & Mike Berenstain. The whole series of these books are delightful for children. They are easy to read and understand with plots that children can predict and enjoy. These are good books for a child to read with a parent because they are made to help kids learn how to read. I enjoyed all of these books. The main characters are Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Brother Bear and Sister Bear.

What are some of your favorites? Later on, after I finish this course I’m taking, I’ll update this post with a bunch of other great  books I’ve left off. I’ll also put up pictures of my “Book Bag”, a project in which I choose a book, decorate a bag, and put artifacts in the bag that I pull out while I’m reading the story to children. It should be really fun! I might do James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Not sure yet, though.  Until then!