11
May
2010
These are a few of my favourite things….PICTURE BOOKS
My favourite book. Get your hands on it.
Or so the song goes. These are actually a few of my favourite children’s picture books for the under 5s. I know, I know, there are literally thousands of wonderful books, and as clever and efficient as I am, I haven’t quite got through them all. Astounding I realise.
My requirements for being added to this illustrious list include gorgeous illustrations, fun or charming stories (a sense of humour doesn’t go astray) and something that I don’t want to set fire to the fortieth time I read it. And I have to admit a terrible bias towards Australian books here – I don’t know if it’s because some of them reflect my own childhood stories, or their cheekiness just appeals to me, but I have to put it out there.
So to keep you going while I make my way through every single children’s book in the world, here are some of my favourites:
- Wanted: The Perfect Pet – this is probably my favourite book ever. Mainly for the over 2s but good for a few years after that due to the detail, it is very funny, very sweet, very engaging and has lovely line-style drawings. It also provides good scope for me to show off the breadth of my story reading skills. Love it.
- Hairy Maclary
— and all his mates, especially Schnitzel von Krum with the very low tum. Oh, and that rasckely Slinky Malinki of course. The ryhmes make them appealing from a young age, but the stories keep them going for a long time – every child seems to love a story about an animal getting in trouble.
- Diary of a Wombat — winner of lots of awards, the illustrations are so very Australian and the wombat is such a comedy genius. Adults love the undertones, kids love the dust and the rubbish bins. Two year old can’t see a plate of carrots without DEMANDING them. Sweet (whilst being somewhat annoying).
- Where is the Green Sheep – sheep who surf, juggle and dress up as Carmen Miranda — hard to go wrong. And especially because of the surprise black pages in the middle which never fail to delight. See also Australian classic, Possum Magic and 10 Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes which is a great rhythmic book for the very young.
- The Tiger Who Came to Tea – I grit my teeth a bit when the mummy talks about getting dinner on the table for the daddy (can daddy get his own dinner? Although to be fair, mummy has been buggering around having tea parties all afternoon and it was written in 1968). Still, two year old LOVES it. Tiger is not scary, pictures are clear and story easy to follow.
- Who’s Hiding? – beautiful graphics, cute idea, quite child-addictive. A little bit throw-it-out-the-window, but I have found you can close your eyes and let them play the game a bit on their own. A quick nap does wonders the hundredth time around.
- How to Catch a Star – beautifully illustrated and just such a wonderfully magical story. Everyone should have it on their bookshelf.
- Pat the Bunny – ostensibly for the really young, it’s a 1962 version of the ‘That’s Not my (insert any potential animal/icon that could make money. That’s not my Santa – I mean, really?) Puppy’ series. It’s a really sweet touch and smell book with simple drawings. The 8 month old loves to touch the bunny and put her finger in the holes, and yet the 2 year old is weirdly interested in doing the same. Could be not-so-weird interest in doing anything to annoy the 8 month old though.
OK, I know eight is a random list number, so I made it into bullet points to fool you. I also have a long list of books that I would like to buy (when I am allowed off my self-imposed Amazon-no-buy time)…
But I would love to hear some more of your must reads….
Like
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox (author of The Green Sheep and many other wonderful children’s stories) is the most beautiful book!! It’s a must buy or borrow.
Our Top Reads:
The Gruffalo – fantastic story about a mouse who managed to outsmart a fox, owl and snake. My two year old can recite the whole thing. You can’t go wrong with Julia Donaldson, our favourites are Room on the Broom, What the Ladybird Heard, Smartest Giant in Town.
We love How to Catch a Star and any of Oliver Jeffers books – such beautiful illustrations!
I Don’t Want A Posh Dog and I Don’t Wan’t A Cool Cat (Emma Dodd) – great (quick) reads for younger ones.
And The Train Goes… by William Bee – quite quirky but great to read aloud.
Lauren Child love love love! She has done some great stuff outside the Charlie and Lola series too including a retell of Goldilocks and the Princess and the Pea.
And we can’t forget about the classics: Where the Wild Things Are, Harry the Dirty Dog, Brown Bear Brown Bear What Did You See?, Hungry Caterpillar – still superb. Try and get a two year old to say – “one slice of swiss cheese”! For boys who like machines, seek out Virginia Lee Burton’s books: Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, The Little House… these are old kindergarten classics. And Dr Seuss still rocks.
I have looked on amazon and penguin uk for wanted the perfect pig but don’t seem to be able to get it over here?!
ps Giraffes can’t dance. Lovely book
Can’t go past Janet and Allan Ahlberg. ‘Each Peach Pear Plum’ and ‘Peepo’ are our favourites (A is 6 months, but she has loved them since I started reading them to her at about 6 weeks). Don’t know if I just love them because they are from my childhood, but they have really fun pictures and lovely rhymes.
Ummmm drjane – the clue might be in the title, it’s Wanted: The Perfect Pet, not Pig !! Anyway, you can find it on amazon uk (different title) – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wanted-Perfect-Pet-Fiona-Roberton/dp/0399254617 – you’re welcome.
Virginia – I have not one, not two but four copies of 10 Little FIngers. I adore it. They even include it in reading packs from the government over here in the UK!
Oooee – many of them are new to me, am rushing off to add to my wishlist immediately.
Jessamy – ditto – I have to get them ASAP.
OMG, I am going to be broke.
maisy and tallulah going to the fair – is a fave in our house for keen 16month old reader. one of a series.. anything by the author Lucy Cousins is a hit.
the “where is” tallulah question is the favourite bit…
green sheep and 10 little fingers are constantly read – the paper books ripped with over exuberance, so we’ve had to convert to hard page version. much better.
great topic for discussion.
I agree with Jessamy – we have the Baby’s Catalogue by the Ahlbergs and it is great. Also second the choice of Hairy Maclary books, but her (Lyndsay Dodds?) other book, The Apple Tree and other stories is also a winner (4 stories in the one book).
We have bought “Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose” for a few new parents, since our children loved that, and also “Daddies give you horsey rides” (Abi Levine?).
And a friend recently gave us “Fancy Nancy” which is great for four year old girls – I can’t remember the author. I also love the Olivia books by Ian Falconer but my husband finds them annoying!
PS Kate – in case you know any cheeky but loveable Spanish boys, you would love the Madeline books
So fun to read and the most divine illustrations.
And I forgot the favourite book of all time in our household – Dear Zoo!
I do not buy books. I get them all from my local library – you can reserve them online and that includes books from all the other libraries in our local council area. This is because I live in Sydney. Were I still in Barcelona I would be haemorrhaging money on amazon.
Yup to all above, and the Chocolate Mousse one is by the Gruffalo woman. Check out what else she has put out the the same illustrator – Room onthe Broom and Stick Man (not suitable for kids whose parents are separated) and esp. Tabby McTat, all fab. In fact Choc Mousse is not even one of her better ones, she is so good. Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book is another great one. And for the 2 yer olds, Toddle Waddle. My kids are now aged 3 and 4, and have loved pretty much everything you guys mention. The Ahlbergs – incl. after Janet passed away, what Alan has done on his own eg. Skeleton Crew (there are a few books – 3 year old boys will LOVE) are the best.
I am Australian so I get the best of all worlds – Irish, British, aussie, NZ(every single thing written by the Hairy McLairy woman – my 2yr old daughter recited “Slinky Malinki’s Christmas Crackers” word for word),
AND
American stuff – the classics are Goodnight Moon (and anything M W Brown wrote), Make Way for Ducklings, all the Richard Scarry books, Knuffle Bunny, all the Dr Seuss books (incl. those he wrote under the name Theo LeSieg) – do not forget them.
Being an aussie I am going through a severe Steve Parish phase (all photos of native animals are close ups, as opposed to Wombat Stew-style drawings), better than Diary of a Wombat and other J French books as the animals are real and often weird ones like quolls and quockas and others we barely see as they are almost extinct.
No offence to Mem Fox, but she is not that original I am afraid. Green Sheep is a blatant rip off of an old Dr Seuss book!!.
Alanna – we spend a good amount of time in libraries – I hear ya sista. But you are doing me no good with your other suggestions – I just want to go out and buy them ALL. NOW.
Except Goodnight Moon, that one I have and I must admit – I DON’T GET IT!!!!