For a while I have been telling myself "I should make a list of all of Callie's favorite books thus far," because there definitely have been some surprises along the way. I have definitely been surprised how long we needed to do board books versus picture books. And some of the books that I was so excited about, she could care less about. I think when I found out I was pregnant with her I automatically started thinking about what books we would enjoy together. Books were the most common item on our baby registry. Reading is always something that has been crucial in my life. I remember very fondly spending summers reading with our whole family together in the living room and I hope to do the same for my girls. I do find that times when I am not able to read as much as I would like, like...say...now, when I am balancing a toddler and a baby, I feel a little out of whack. But I do get to read a lot with Callie during the day. The books that I thought she would be into she isn't necessarily. And some books. Oh my dear god. Kill me if I have to read them one more time. So here you go. Here is the list in no particular order.
Anything and everything Maisy. But especially Maisy Goes Camping. We definitely need a new copy since the cover has completely come off. Sadly, we haven't even taken Callie camping yet! But hopefully we will rectify that soon. Haha. In finding the link for Maisy for you, sweet reader, I came across a new one for our collection, Maisy Goes to Preschool. Thank you Amazon Prime!
Click Clack Moo. This is a recent favorite and I couldn't be happier! One of my favorites. And to hear hear exclaim "Quick Quack Moo!" is pretty darn adorable.
Little Helpers. This is a nice one. Callie loves it because it has birds, butterflies and other things she can name. Good book on being "green."
Awake to Nap by Nikki McClure. Very cool illustrations in this partial alphabet book. I wish it went through all the letters, but it is beautiful for what it is. Apparently the author made these block prints while her son napped. Guess he didn't nap quite long enough!
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin. I love love love reading this with Callie. She loves to reply with Boom Boom when I say Chicka Chicka.
Anything by Eric Carle. These books are wonderful for little ones. The pictures are engaging and beautiful. There are a lot of titles to choose from but Callie's favorites are The Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, From Head to Toe, TheVery Busy Spider, and 1,2,3 To The Zoo.
Ten Little Monkeys by Eileen Christalow: I will admit it. I hide this book all the time. We got it from a friend and Callie loves it. But after reading it a gazillion times, good god. Kill me. I want to tie those monkeys to the bed. No more jumping! Oh well. At least it isn't ten little monkeys. It's only five.
Where is Baby's Belly Button by Karen Katz. There is a whole series of these books. Where is baby's puppy, where is baby's mommy, etc. They are great books! Especially for the early stuff. The flaps are easy to grab for little hands and can stand up to a fair amount of abuse.
On The Night That You Were Born by Nancy Tillman. This is a GORGEOUS book. Buy it. If you know someone having a baby. Buy it. I was in the Santa Cruz Bookshop with Callie when she was teeny tiny and I was looking at it, most likely not going to buy it when a random mom came up to me and said "You HAVE to buy that book. You will love it. If you don't buy I'm going to buy it for you." That was enough for me, to have a complete stranger offer to buy you a book. That's a keeper. There is also On the Day That You Were Born, but I like this one better.
Peek a Who by Nina Laden. This is another recent favorite since Callie is pretty obsessed with owls at the moment. But this would be a great early book as well.
Tickle Monster by Josie Bisset. Yes that Josie Bissett, of Melrose Place fame. But don't let that stop you. It is awesome! We LOVE this book. Bill's cousins gave it to Callie for her first Christmas. It is awesome! Make sure you buy the set with the tickle monster gloves. It is worthless without them, in my opinion. We have had so many fun tickle fests because of this book. This is another great one for gifts.
Press Here by Herve Tullet. We have bought this book for pretty much every birthday party we have gone to for the last year. It's at the point where I can't remember who I've given it to we love it so so much. It is wonderful! It is vibrant and colorful, interactive and tactile. Kids get to shake the book, blow on it and clap to make that wonderful little yellow dot do some amazing things. This is one book where I don't think you need the board book. The hardcover has a very sturdy cover and the pages aren't very fragile either.
The Napping House by Audrey and Don Wood. I am so glad Callie got into this one recently. I have always had a special place in my heart for the incredible illustrations of this team of author and illustrator.
Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann. Callie really likes this one. This is a good beginning book as it is very visual and not too dependent on words.
Doggies by Sandra Boynton. Another good early one since it depends on counting and funny noises.
A Lot of Otters by Barbara Berger. I bought this for Callie the first time we took her to the Monterey Aquarium. Absolutely gorgeous. This is another one that she wasn't into for quite a while but is now.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. I love reading this with Callie. She wouldn't go to bed without reading it for a good long while. And I was happy to oblige. I read it so much that I noticed on one of the pages where you can see a picture hanging on the wall. That picture is from one of her other books, Runaway Bunny. Unfortunately I can't seem to get Callie into that one yet. But seriously, it would be a crime if you child's reading library didn't include this gorgeous classic.
Time for Bed by Mem Fox. This is another one that makes a great gift, especially for a new baby. The pictures are beautiful and they all show parents with their babies. For whatever reason when we get to the page with the fish Callie points to one and says "mama fish" and points to the other and says "callie fish."
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert. This is especially great for when your little one starts eating solid food. Callie always gets very excited when we get to W. And I think you know why!
Elmo. Ugh. The red devil himself. These are another series that I tend to hide every now and then. Callie loves them so I bring them back out occassionally. See. I didn't even give you the link. There. That should tell you something. And yes, it was a gift.
Bark, George. We discovered this one at a storytime day at the Rosegarden library and we both love it! Callie loves most books with dogs:) Like...
One Pups Up by Marsha Chall. Another counting book. Very cute illustrations.
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Williams. All his books are really cute and clever. This is a great one! A good, cautionary tale (especially for daddies) about taking good care of lovies! He has some other great ones like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and There is a Bird on your Head. And no, I am not making these up.
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. I love love love this book and I so glad that Callie finally got into it!
Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. I have no idea why Callie likes this book (it's very words which normally doesn't fly with her!) but she does. Go figure.
Dr. Seuss. Get these for the early stages. In my opinion, the window of enjoyment for these is fairly small. Callie is way over them. With the exception of The Cat in the Hat and Go Dog Go. She never gets tired of that one. And of course the one that I liked the best, she could care less about. My poor sneetches with stars upon thars.
Hugs All Day. This is a random one. There isn't really even an author listed. We got it as a gift for Callie's first birthday. Callie loved loved loved this book for months. This is another really great early book. The pages are very sturdy and the pictures are great.
I'm a Big Sister by Joanna Cole. This is a must if there is a sibling on the way. We received 4 copies! But Callie loves it. Don't ask me why but the only version available on amazon is the one is spanish. But apparently this book is everywhere! Well, except on the internet.
I Kissed the Baby by Mary Murphy. This is a great one for babies since it is black and white so the high contrast is easy for them to see. Callie still digs it.
The Paper bag Princess by Robert Munsch. I love this book. Callie is sort of into it and seems to be even more so everytime we read it.
Dog Dreams. Another one with very cool illustrations.
Z is for Zamboni. Come one. You saw that one coming didn't you? Pretty sure we'd have to kick Callie out of the CG clan if she didn't like this one. The best part is at the end she jumps up with her hands in the air and yells "GO SHARKS!" That's my girl.
Misses:
These are books that I love and thought Callie would to, but she doesn't. At least not yet. I am going to keep trying!
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss. This is a very simple book, it has been described as "zen like" so I thought Callie would be into it. But not yet.
Stella Luna. I even tried getting this for her in a board book and nada. Crushed. Totally crushed.
Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. This one is all me. I fully admit it. I remember loving it because of the way my mom read it to me. But when I read it as an adult the ending kinda creeped me out. I should probably get over it.
Books by Kevin Henkes. I registered for at least 4 of his books for Callie and she isn't really into them. Although I haven't brought them out in a while. Might be time to try again! My favorites are Wemberly Worried, Julius Baby of the World and any of the Lily Books.
Oh and here is one just for the mommies and daddies. Seriously dude. Don't read it to your kid. It will help you get through some tough nights with a little laughter! If they ever go to sleep that is! Go The F**k To Sleep by Adam Mansbach. The illustrations are surprisingly gorgeous too. I haven't heard it, but Samuel L. Jackson also does the voice for the audio book:)
Oop. here is another one. I forgot about this one! We got this as a gift and we still love it:) Baby Mix Me a Drink by Lisa Brown. There is also Baby Fix My Car, Baby Make My Breakfast and Baby Do My Banking.
That's it for now! I'm sure there are a gazillion I am missing, especially from the early stages. Parents, Teachers: what are your favorites? For the early early stuff, you can't go wrong with high contrast or tactile like touch and feel.
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