Jessa's Picks:
I am always on the hunt for fun books to read aloud with my boys. I love good flow and maybe a little rhyming here and there. I also need comedy. The funnier the book, the more theatrical I get with reading it. Here are my all-time favorite read aloud books:
Peek-a-Who? by Nina Laden. The biggest reason I love this book is because both my boys loved this book as babies. The simple words and pictures along with the mirror page at the end for the "Peek a WHO?" sold it for them. I have fond memories snuggling up in their rocking chair and reading this book to their smiling, little faces. Oh how I wish they were little again.
One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo. One day while at the zoo, Elliot asks his dad for money to buy a penguin. Sorely mistaken, his father assumes Elliot wants to buy a stuffed penguin from a vending machine. The rest of the story is how Elliot takes care of a real life penguin in his upstairs bedroom. His father is oblivious to the fact until a bathroom mishap. I love how this story has underlying humor. Did you catch it?
The Day the Crayons Quit & The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers. My husband and I take turns doing the voices for the crayons and I think we end up laughing more than the kids do. These books are hysterical and hint on adult humor, which I appreciate. Both books have connections with the crayon characters you meet which makes it even more fun to read.
The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord. I could read this book every day with my kids and not get sick of it. It's a cute story about a town with a bee problem who decides to build a giant jam sandwich to get rid of them. The flow of the words and rhyming patterns are what really do it for me. It's also filled with fun alliteration and onomatopoeia.
Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae. Awesome flow and rhyming. It also has a sweet message about reaching your potential. Gerald is a giraffe who is sad because his size and stature holds him back from groovin'. But thanks to a little inspiration from some jungle friends, he finds his dancing legs and surprises his skeptics.
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt. This story is about how the game we all know and love came to be. Three battle warriors, who are bored of defeat, finally find their match. Rock is victorious against his yard enemies, while scissors is unstoppable against office supplies. Soon they meet paper. Hysterical!
Journey, Return, and Quest by Aaron Becker. These three picture books have no words and tell the story of how a child's creativity is brought to life with crayon drawings. The illustrations are beautiful and include so many small features and details. It's inspiring to see a child's creative mind come to life. The author and illustrator, Aaron Beck, also has a great blog with more info about his writing, resources for educators, and a shop where you can buy prints of his work. Very cool! And sparks so much creative thinking.
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle. Another wordless book that tells the tale of a girl's playful interaction with a flamingo. Some of the pages open up to create a more 3D experience. I just love the colors in the book and the playfulness of these characters. There are a few other books in this series in which Flora meets Peacocks, a Penguin, an Ostrich, and some Chicks.
Ball! by Mary Sullivan. There is only word in this entire book: ball. From the mindset of a dog waiting for his human to return, this book tells the tale of a lonesome pup just wanting to toss his favorite ball around. With no one willing to play he waits for his best friend to come home and play ball.
Press Here & Mix it Up by Herve Tullet. My boys love these books no matter how old they get. They love to play with the story by mixing, shaking, and tapping new colors onto the pages.
There is also a Press Here Game. It's kinda cute and kinda lame. There's a lot of creative freedom which makes it an easy game to play with kids of all ages.
My Teacher is a Monster by Peter Brown. This is a great story about the importance and benefits of getting to know someone better. Bobby, the class clown and Ms. Kirby, a grumpy teacher, accidentally meet at the park one afternoon. Their initial uneasiness turns into a friendship as they begin to learn more about each other.
This is a Moose by Richard T. Morris. I LOVE THIS BOOK!. It's so funny to read in character voices. A moose is being filmed for a documentary but he has bigger aspirations than depicting the typical life of a moose. The entire animal cast has funny quirks and sayings that crack us up!
Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth. Stillwater the Bear uses ancient Zen tales to teach important lessons to 3 siblings. This book is actually three short stories with wonderful life lessons taught in kid language and understanding. While I haven't read his other books, Muth has a few more Zen stories: Zen Ties, Zen Ghosts, and Zen Socks, and Stone Soup.
Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem by Mac Barnett. Billy Twitters' mom is fed up so she threatens to deliver a Blue Whale for Billy to take care of. When the whale arrives, Billy realizes he is responsible for taking care of this beast of an animal as he goes to school. This story follows Billy's day taking care of the whale and includes lots of facts about blue whales along the way.
The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone. This was one of my childhood favorites so I'm excited to share it with my boys. Dexter pretends that he's too old for the silliness of Grover thinking there's a monster at the end of the book, but every time I see him crack a laugh or two as Grover attempts to convince us not to turn another page for fear of spotting this monster.
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. As a mouse is walking through the woods he comes across some enemies and makes up stories about his meeting with a Grufflo who would eat them up. The predators run away in fear and the mouse thinks he has tricked his way to freedom. Until he meets the beast he's been describing. There is also a video on Netflix of this book which I find so relaxing. It's basically someone reading the book aloud with a cartoon version of the book, but the guy's voice is so soothing.
Ada Twist Scientist by Andrea Beaty. I love this story because it portrays the creative struggles a little girl faces as her mind explores the word around her. She is inquisitive and curious and wants to know more about the world in a scientific way. As you follow her journey you learn about the scientific method and how Ada was able to explore her passion. The book is written in rhyme which makes it fun to read. Beaty has other books with a similar theme: Rosie Revere, Engineer, and Iggy Peck, Architect.
I Don't Want to be a Frog by Dev Petty. The old saying goes, "The grass is always greener on the other side." A frog who doesn't love the frog life learns about why being a frog might just be the best. A cute story with lots of funny anecdotes.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Another favorite read aloud from my childhood. My kids don't really like this book, but I think it has such a sweet message about the power of love and reliance. Someday, when my kids are not so egotistical, they will recognize and appreciate that message. Right?
Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak. This book is hilarious. The whole point of the book is that the person reading the book has to say the words. And you end up saying some pretty embarrassing things about yourself. When I read this with the boys I act super confused and embarrassed like someone is making me talk. They laugh so hard and totally fall for it.
Author Crushes:
Jon Klassen:
I Want My Hat Back- This is first book of read of Klassen's and I fell in love immediately. I read this book really slowly and with a deep, sad voice. I've read this to my toddler and my sixth grade students, and there's something about this quiet pace that keeps the kids intrigued. They're just not sure where the book is going and that makes them (and me!) laugh.
This is Not My Hat- Another hat problem? You don't say. A fish finds a hat that does not belong to him knowing that there is another fish looking for such a hat.
We Found a Hat- One hat, two turtles. They both like the hat. The hat looks good on both of them. But who will get the hat? I love the simplicity of these books. I love to read them really slowly and in a deep voice just to boost suspense.
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole- by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen. Sam and Dave spend the digging a hole and narrowly missing treasures along the way.
David Wiesner:
Tuesday by David Wiesner. This is a picture book that tells a story about how frogs flew through the sky on lily pads one Tuesday night. The pictures are awesome and tell the whole story. The best part is that my kids do the reading. They make the sound and describe what's happening. They loved to find little funny details in the pictures too.
Mr. Wuffles This story is written from the perspective of aliens living inside of a spaceship cat toy. Written like a graphic novel, this story follows the hardships the aliens face attempting their escape mission. They meet fellow cat foes and work together to create the perfect plan.
Flotsam The story of a boy exploring the beach and all its wonders. The usual suspects wash ashore but it's not until the barnacle-crusted camera floats ashore that things really start getting interesting.
The Three Pigs This is a different take on the story of the Three Little Pigs. Same tale of a wolf chasing three little piglets, but their attempt at escape goes beyond the pages of the book. It's a clever twist and a fun read for kids. The animals come to life and interact with the book itself.
Chris Van Allsburg
The Polar Express A Christmas classic. We love to read this book all through December. I love the illustrations- the expression on those kids' faces! If you're not familiar with this story, it's about a boy who gets to travel to the North Pole on the Polar Express. There, he meets Santa and receives a bell from his sleigh. On his way back home, the boy notices the bell is lost. His final discovery hints at the magic of Christmas.
Two Bad Ants A cute story about an ants discovery of a "crystal". He brings it back to his family and they all decide to go out for more of these amazing crystals. They venture out on a treacherous route and come across a whole bowl of crystals. Excited to bring them home to the hive, the ants do not notice a giant spoon about to scoop them up. What do you think the magic crystals are?
Jumanji Perfect timing for this classic fantasy story. I'm excited for my kids to watch the movie, but they're probably a little young yet. The book is a great intro. And, as always, Van Allsburg creates beautiful pictures to tell the story.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick While this is not a book, but rather a collection of black and white photos, the pictures tell amazing stories in your mind. Each carefully drawn picture elicits a world of imagination in your child's mind. The stories they come up with are phenomenal. You can each take turns telling a tale of what you think is happening in the story. So much fun!
Other Books My Kids Love
(but I don't necessarily love reading aloud to them)
There's a Mouse About the House by Richard Fowler. This is a fun one for the kids to read together. The book comes with a laminated paper mouse that kids can slide in and out of the pages to follow a mouse on a mission for cheese. I don't love it as a read aloud because I don't love story and my kids fight over who gets to be the mouse.
The Captain Underpants Series by Dev Pilkey. As an adult, it's sometimes hard understand the humor behind some children's books. As goofy as these books are, I appreciate how much my kids think they are hysterical. Pilkey understands the humor of six and three year old. My boys will be belly laughing as the stinky toilet monsters are attacking the school or when Captain Underpants is running around in his underwear attempting to save the world. I don't get the humor, but to watch my kids nearly in tears from laughing, it's worth it.
The Harry Potter Series: Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling. Did you know there are illustrated versions of these book?! Exciting! And the pictures are gorgeous. I know, you're wondering how this isn't in the Favorite Read Alouds sections. Let me explain. When I bought these books I was so excited to read them to my boys because they had pictures to help illustrate Harry's adventure. However, they are still too young for these books. There's a lot of background knowledge they're missing and I have to stop every other paragraph to summarize what is happening and why. In a few years we'll revisit these books and I hope to put them into my favorites category.
Dragons Love Tacos & Dragons Love Tacos 2 by Adam Rubin. These books just aren't funny to me. Dragons love taco, but just not anything spicy? Ok. The boys are always asking me to read these books and they laugh the whole time, but I just don't get it.
Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds. This story is so dumb. It's about a boy rabbit who gets a new pair of glow in the dark undies that are creepy. The bunny tries to get rid of the underwear but they just keep showing back up again. Eventually the bunny appreciates the undies because there're like a nightlight for him. I don't get it. My boys get it. They love it. I don't.
Nonfiction
I'm a big believer in exposing kids to as much non-fiction as possible because it sparks curiosity and opens them up to new learning. What I've found over the years is that even though they can't read, the boys love looking at the pictures in the book like National Geographic Kids. There's a hug assortment of themes for kids to explore like space, animals, and weather. Smithsonian also has a selection of books on science projects, the human body, history, and much more.
Magazines
Every year for Christmas my grandmother gives the boys a subscription to Highlights magazines. I love that they have a range of magazines depending on age. My boys love getting mail and these subscriptions make it extra special.
The Hello books (ages 0-2) are small, durable books with just a few pages of simple stories, songs, and pictures. They do a nice job of incorporating various cultures and the pictures depict children of all nationalities. When my kids were little they liked looking at these on their own because they were small enough for them to handle and the pictures told a story on their own.
Once our oldest turned 3 my Gma started ordering the High five magazines for the boys. These are typical magazine size and include a lot more content than the Hello books. You still get the poems, songs, and stories, but they're longer and more suited to older kids' interests. Some of the characters that repeated in each magazine so the kids get to know them a bit. There's usually a life lesson that goes along with the stories as well. At the end of the magazine is a game or mini-book the kids can cut-out and play with. There's also quick activities like recipes and crafts. There is a bilingual version available as well.
Now that our oldest is 6, we order the Highlights magazine. This is much like the Hive Five magazine, but with even more content and greater vocabulary.