A Few Favorites to Share in September

ByKelly Keller

These Book Basket articles are some of the most fun to put together because it means I talk to my kids (who are now ages 16-23) about the books we shared when they were little. They have different recollections from one another, plus the older kids returned to a different set of books than the younger ones did, just by virtue of the time elapsed and their own preferences.

Here’s another round of some of our family favorites! (Edition one is right here.)

Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.”

 –Kate DiCamillo

Mouse Tales, Arnold Lobel: From the author of Frog and Toad, this book is a series of bedtime stories told by Papa Mouse to his children. Cute, funny, and easy to read if you have a beginning reader.

The Carnival of the Animals, John Lithgow: This book is centered around the humorous classical music suite of fourteen movements about animals: lions, donkeys, and swans, to name a few. Lithgow, a wonderful narrator, gives shape alongside the music with a tale of a boy falling asleep on a trip to the Natural History Museum. You must find the audio of this one, or you’ll miss half the fun!

Stone Soup, Marcia Brown: The story of a village who makes “soup” out of stones for visitors. People who are at first close-fisted become generous and joyful. My own relationship with this classic kids’ tale goes back for almost my entire life. My elementary teachers coordinated activities around it; when I was a student teacher in college, our class did a “stone soup” meal; and then I read it to my own children. Every child should know this one.

Car Wash, Sandra Steen: What is it about little kids and car washes? Some children are terrified; some are delighted. This is a story about an everyday trip through the car wash. The illustrations in this book, created from collage art, are the highlight. Water beads are depicted with glass beads scattered across the page. I always loved looking at this one.

The Elephant and Piggie series, Mo Willems: This was an entry from my younger kids. We all loved Mo Willems’ books as they were growing up, and this easy-to-read beginner series was no exception. Elephant and Piggie are friends who sometimes frustrate each other, but they always figure things out. My link is to the book entitled Today I Will Fly!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Bill Martin: I couldn’t pass up mentioning this classic. If you have a toddler who loves rhythm and repetition, this alphabet book will delight them. My older kids memorized this one when they were very little. Our first copy eventually fell apart—always a sign of a best-loved book.

This post first appeared on https://kellykeller.substack.com/

Kelly Keller
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