favorite children's books

2 min read

For as long as I can remember I have loved picture books. As a child I would study the illustrations of my favorites – Blueberries for Sal, The Bremen-town Musicians, Caps for Sale, Go, Dog. Go! – I can still remember pictures and hear my mom’s voice saying, “kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk!” and “Caps for Sale! Caps! Fifty cents a cap!“. Picture books are pure magic. My sophomore year of college my best friend and I shared an apartment. She brought a couch, coffee table, tv; I brought a small stack of favorite picture books. Now looking back, this seems like a strange thing for a 19 year old to travel with from Washington to Southern California, but I guess I felt they were important at the time. I don’t know if I ever opened the books that year, but they sat next to the couch and I saw them everyday. Fun fact: those same books from way back then are up on Audrey’s shelves today. We have so many favorite books. I thought it might be fun and helpful to have a big list of favorites, all of which are included in our little library. So, in no particular order, here are 48 must-haves for your picture book collection: The Jolly Postman You’re All My Favorites Guess How Much I Love You King Hugo’s Huge Ego (get this one!) Toot + Puddle Elephant and Piggie Peek-A-Boo! Sam and Dave Dig A Hole (get this one, too!) Kiki + Coco In Paris (so adorable) Lulu + Pip Learning To Ski With Mr. Magee Telephone Baby Wren and The Great Gift Triangle (we love everything by this author/illustrator combo) Extra Yarn I Want My Hat Back We Found A Hat The Day The Crayons Quit (clever, clever, clever) The Day The Crayons Came Home Paul Meets Bernadette Angelina Ballerina Penguin Problems Gaston The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, And The Big, Hungry Bear I Had A Favorite Dress (best illustrations) Birdie’s Big Girl Shoes Birdie’s Big Girl Dress Just Being Audrey Alphabeasties Mr. Tiger Goes Wild The Book With No Pictures The Circus Ship (love this one) Bear Snores On Llama Llama Red Pajama We’re Going On A Bear Hunt Sleepy Bears Bats At The Ballgame How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? Today I feel Silly Blueberries For Sal Imogene’s Antlers Where The Wild Things Are If You Give A Mouse A Cookie The Napping House Julius, The Baby Of The World The Princess And The Pig Henry’s Bright Idea Press Here

Well, that was fun! I hope this list is a helpful resource for adding books to your collection!