What are some classic books for young children?
February 18, 2016 4:19 PM Subscribe
I've got a niece coming into the world soon, and as a gift for the shower, I was thinking of sending along a package of some of the books we were read as small children ourselves, as well as some newer books. Trouble is, I can really only remember two: The Poky Little Puppy and Mike Thaler's Owly (not the more recent comic book). Are there any other classic early childhood books that I should be sure to include?
Best answer: I distinctly remember reading the "Frog & Toad" series by Arnold Lobel as a kid. So much so, that I've actually gone back and reread them as an adult.
And of COURSE Where the Wild Things Are!
posted by TurquoiseZebra at 4:29 PM on February 18, 2016 [5 favorites]
And of COURSE Where the Wild Things Are!
posted by TurquoiseZebra at 4:29 PM on February 18, 2016 [5 favorites]
Best answer: The Velveteen Rabbit. The Giving Tree. Love You Forever. Goodnight Moon. Anything by Eric Carle. Anything by Beatrix Potter. Grover and the Monster at the End of the Book. Grover and the Museum of Everything. Clifford the Big Red Dog. Those Richard Scarry books with pictures of things and their names.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 4:31 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 4:31 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Goodnight Moon
Little Fur Family
anything by Dr. Seuss
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Are You My Mother?
Blueberries for Sal
More More More Said the Baby
posted by Redstart at 4:36 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Little Fur Family
anything by Dr. Seuss
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Are You My Mother?
Blueberries for Sal
More More More Said the Baby
posted by Redstart at 4:36 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Also, Charlotte's Web & Winnie the Pooh.
posted by CollectiveMind at 4:41 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by CollectiveMind at 4:41 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: The School Library Journal Top 100 Picture Books!
I am a Children's Librarian and a parent, and I can assure you that anything on this list would be great.
posted by Biblio at 4:43 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
I am a Children's Librarian and a parent, and I can assure you that anything on this list would be great.
posted by Biblio at 4:43 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: We are now being instructed to read to infants from the very beginning even before they can really see the books, and I am told that rhyming texts are good for this. As a result, I have been reading my infant a lot of Shel Silverstein poems. As a kid, I loved Where the Sidewalk Ends. I feel like they really bridge different age ranges.
posted by vunder at 4:45 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by vunder at 4:45 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: this series is really adorable for in a few years:
If you give a pig a pancake
posted by supermedusa at 4:46 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
If you give a pig a pancake
posted by supermedusa at 4:46 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Beatrix Potter... Which given how many little books of hers there are you can set up a serial gift, one or two per birthday or milestone. Such that by the time your niece can hold and read them herself, she will have a robust library of Peter Rabbit and colleagues.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 4:49 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Cold Lurkey at 4:49 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Oh wow, we DEFINITELY had If You Give a Mouse a Cookie in that same art style. That's a must.
posted by Pope Guilty at 4:49 PM on February 18, 2016
posted by Pope Guilty at 4:49 PM on February 18, 2016
Best answer: Also, find out if they can sign up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. It's a free service that will mail them a book every month.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 4:57 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 4:57 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Previous Caldecott Medal Winners are a good bunch, and include two classics we love in this house that haven't been mentioned yet: Make Way for Ducklings and The Snowy Day. I'd second almost everything listed so far, too. And Seuss, of course.
Slightly more recent excellent picture books: This is Not My Hat is becoming our go-to book for new parents; it's a classic in the making. Sandra Boynton books are great for the littlest kids--they just predated my childhood but my little sisters think of them as classics.
posted by tchemgrrl at 5:06 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Slightly more recent excellent picture books: This is Not My Hat is becoming our go-to book for new parents; it's a classic in the making. Sandra Boynton books are great for the littlest kids--they just predated my childhood but my little sisters think of them as classics.
posted by tchemgrrl at 5:06 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I hate to rag on a classic, but The Poky Little Puppy is dreadfully boring. Basically every book mentioned so far is better.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:23 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:23 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I give I am a Bunny at every baby shower. It's one of our family's favorites. The pictures are lovely.
posted by belladonna at 5:29 PM on February 18, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by belladonna at 5:29 PM on February 18, 2016 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Boynton books are awesome. But Not the Hippopotamus and the Going To Bed Book are especially recommended. Kinda sad my little guy is 7 now so we're well past these ones.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:34 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:34 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: In addition to Goodnight Moon, how about The Runaway Bunny by the same author?
I agree with GhostintheMachine that Boynton books are awesome.
posted by merejane at 5:47 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
I agree with GhostintheMachine that Boynton books are awesome.
posted by merejane at 5:47 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm 60, so my favorite childhood books may be out of style, but two:
Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel
Katie and the big Snow
"Katie and the Big Snow" was a favorite of mine before I started reading because there was a neat page near the end that showed the entire town, and I used to spend time tracing her route with my finger. ("Katie" is a snow plow, in case you didn't know.)
All the books by Virginia Lee Burton were wonderful but they go back 70 years and don't have the Dr. Seuss sensibility, so maybe kids today wouldn't be interested.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:13 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel
Katie and the big Snow
"Katie and the Big Snow" was a favorite of mine before I started reading because there was a neat page near the end that showed the entire town, and I used to spend time tracing her route with my finger. ("Katie" is a snow plow, in case you didn't know.)
All the books by Virginia Lee Burton were wonderful but they go back 70 years and don't have the Dr. Seuss sensibility, so maybe kids today wouldn't be interested.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:13 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: The Color Kittens from Little Golden Books.
It is written in charming rhyme, has cute illustrations, teaches how to mix colors to make other colors, and was my favorite book as a pre-schooler to the point that I had it memorized and could "read" it before I could really read.
A new one is "On the Night You Were Born" by Nancy Tillman. Beautiful gentle sentiments and imaginative illustrations. I just got it and " Pat the Bunny" for my brand new grandson.
posted by mermayd at 6:20 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
It is written in charming rhyme, has cute illustrations, teaches how to mix colors to make other colors, and was my favorite book as a pre-schooler to the point that I had it memorized and could "read" it before I could really read.
A new one is "On the Night You Were Born" by Nancy Tillman. Beautiful gentle sentiments and imaginative illustrations. I just got it and " Pat the Bunny" for my brand new grandson.
posted by mermayd at 6:20 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I think Miss Rumphius is a good book to add to a little girl's library.
Also, the Cat in the Hat.
posted by theora55 at 6:24 PM on February 18, 2016
Also, the Cat in the Hat.
posted by theora55 at 6:24 PM on February 18, 2016
Response by poster: Oh my god, how could I forget Mike Mulligan?!
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:27 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:27 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
And if she--like Ramona--asks how he went to the bathroom, tell her that he pooped before he left and brought a jar to pee in.
posted by brujita at 6:32 PM on February 18, 2016
posted by brujita at 6:32 PM on February 18, 2016
Best answer: Caps for Sale
The Cinnamon Bear (A Fuzzy Wuzzy Book)
posted by Rob Rockets at 6:34 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Cinnamon Bear (A Fuzzy Wuzzy Book)
posted by Rob Rockets at 6:34 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Streganona!!
Ferdinand!!
in the night kitchen is probably a less well-known Maurice Sendak book, but oh-so lovely. It has such beautiful illustrations and I love reading it to my infant. It's my favorite thing to read to her for some reason.
posted by Rocket26 at 6:41 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Ferdinand!!
in the night kitchen is probably a less well-known Maurice Sendak book, but oh-so lovely. It has such beautiful illustrations and I love reading it to my infant. It's my favorite thing to read to her for some reason.
posted by Rocket26 at 6:41 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I can attest that Mike Mulligan is still considered by his target audience to be a righteous dude.
So is Curious George, for that matter. Let's not leave him out.
posted by Lou Stuells at 6:43 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
So is Curious George, for that matter. Let's not leave him out.
posted by Lou Stuells at 6:43 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: All books by Ezra Jack Keats. Especially The Snowy Day.
Frederick and other books by Leo Lioni.
And if you want to expose them to some non-white characters try things on this list.
And the New York Review of Books has started reissuing classics.
posted by brookeb at 6:53 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Frederick and other books by Leo Lioni.
And if you want to expose them to some non-white characters try things on this list.
And the New York Review of Books has started reissuing classics.
posted by brookeb at 6:53 PM on February 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Harold and the Purple Crayon is my go to book for baby showers. Seconding In the Night Kitchen also. I also like the more recent set of three books Voyage to the Bunny Planet.
posted by gudrun at 7:26 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by gudrun at 7:26 PM on February 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I read to my daughters from Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy World that I got from my grandmother.
posted by nickggully at 7:43 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by nickggully at 7:43 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: My Many Coloured Days - the Dr Seuss poem with bold painted illustrations about feelings . Our copy is held together by tape, and it's my default baby board book gift because it's just got a lovely rhythm to say and the phrases capture emotions well when a toddler is struggling later like "Are you have a purple day? Do you feel slow and low low down brown day?". My kid will go "Wheee, I'm a happy buzzing bee, it's a yellow day!" sometimes now.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 8:32 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 8:32 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Miss Eva and the Red Ballon. I was just thinking about getting this for a friend's new baby.
posted by grinagog at 9:16 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by grinagog at 9:16 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Huge +1 to I am a Bunny, it's such a beautiful book to look at.
And I agree with ThePinkSuperhero that Poky Little Puppy is just terrible. It's not fun to read aloud because big sections of it are repeated, and if it's trying to teach a moral I don't understand what it is. The puppies are cute so my daughter always wants to read it and I constantly make excuses not to.
My daughter's infant room at daycare got weirdly quiet whenever they read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? to the babies.
posted by town of cats at 9:22 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
And I agree with ThePinkSuperhero that Poky Little Puppy is just terrible. It's not fun to read aloud because big sections of it are repeated, and if it's trying to teach a moral I don't understand what it is. The puppies are cute so my daughter always wants to read it and I constantly make excuses not to.
My daughter's infant room at daycare got weirdly quiet whenever they read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? to the babies.
posted by town of cats at 9:22 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: We also love I Am A Bunny at our house.
There's a cute book called Baby Giggles which is just pictures of babies, which in my experience all babies love, starting around 6mos. They seem to just love looking at the faces of other babies.
A little bit older but when my son was about 2 he really liked Llama Llama Mad at Mama. It taught him that being mad at mom is okay and that mom will still love him and take care of him even when he's mad, which is important because it's very scary for the littles to be mad at their primary caregiver. We read and liked most of the Llama Llama series at that age.
posted by vignettist at 10:13 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
There's a cute book called Baby Giggles which is just pictures of babies, which in my experience all babies love, starting around 6mos. They seem to just love looking at the faces of other babies.
A little bit older but when my son was about 2 he really liked Llama Llama Mad at Mama. It taught him that being mad at mom is okay and that mom will still love him and take care of him even when he's mad, which is important because it's very scary for the littles to be mad at their primary caregiver. We read and liked most of the Llama Llama series at that age.
posted by vignettist at 10:13 PM on February 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Pretty much any of the Sendak books are great, but I hold great fondness for Chicken Soup With Rice.
posted by hippybear at 12:46 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 12:46 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Corduroy! Corduroy! Corduroy!
posted by duffell at 4:07 AM on February 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by duffell at 4:07 AM on February 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: If you have the time and the photos, a fill-the-sleeves family book captivates babies.
I look at older books with the messages they send regarding gender and race and more.
Mo Willems has so many easy-read titles, including the Piggie and Gerald series that starts with There Is ABird On Your Head and the pigeon books let little ones say No, teaching boundaries in a fun way
And the Boynton Board Books were in heavy rotation at bedtime. Simple, quick, and we read Pajama Time with some jazz panache...
An enduring classic is Pippi Longstocking
posted by childofTethys at 4:29 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
I look at older books with the messages they send regarding gender and race and more.
Mo Willems has so many easy-read titles, including the Piggie and Gerald series that starts with There Is ABird On Your Head and the pigeon books let little ones say No, teaching boundaries in a fun way
And the Boynton Board Books were in heavy rotation at bedtime. Simple, quick, and we read Pajama Time with some jazz panache...
An enduring classic is Pippi Longstocking
posted by childofTethys at 4:29 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
No love for Robert Munsch? Mud Puddle? The Dark? I have to go [pee]! The Boy in the Drawer, The Paper Bag Princess, Love you Forever, Jonathan Cleaned up... and then he Heard a Sound..., David's Father (my personal Favorite), murmel murmel murmel, 50 Below 0
And many of these are available in Board Book or compilation format.
posted by Dressed to Kill at 5:14 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
And many of these are available in Board Book or compilation format.
posted by Dressed to Kill at 5:14 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Anything by Kevin Henkes, especially Chrysanthemum.
Anything by Graeme Base, especially Animalia.
For a little bit older: The Paperbag Princess!
Always yes for Mauruce Sendak and I am a Bunny!
posted by smallvictories at 5:18 AM on February 19, 2016
Anything by Graeme Base, especially Animalia.
For a little bit older: The Paperbag Princess!
Always yes for Mauruce Sendak and I am a Bunny!
posted by smallvictories at 5:18 AM on February 19, 2016
I actually rather like The Poky Little Puppy.
if it's trying to teach a moral I don't understand what it is
And that is exactly why I like it. Unlike so many children's books, it doesn't have a clear moral at all. The consequences for digging under the fence are a mix of good and bad. The consequences for being poky are a mix of good and bad. And it's fun to read "roly-poly, pell-mell, tumble-bumble."
posted by Redstart at 6:47 AM on February 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
if it's trying to teach a moral I don't understand what it is
And that is exactly why I like it. Unlike so many children's books, it doesn't have a clear moral at all. The consequences for digging under the fence are a mix of good and bad. The consequences for being poky are a mix of good and bad. And it's fun to read "roly-poly, pell-mell, tumble-bumble."
posted by Redstart at 6:47 AM on February 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Stellaluna, by Janelle Cannon. Wonderful story and illustrations. Content note: Baby bat escapes menacing predator, falls among kind strangers, and is subsequently reunited with her mother. The menacing situation is realistic and might be distressing for some youngsters.
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, by Raschka and Raschka. (Parental advisory: Addictive rhythm and rhyme.)
Charlie Parker played bebop
Charlie Parker played saxophone
The music sounded like be bop
Never leave your cat alone!
posted by Weftage at 7:04 AM on February 19, 2016
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, by Raschka and Raschka. (Parental advisory: Addictive rhythm and rhyme.)
Charlie Parker played bebop
Charlie Parker played saxophone
The music sounded like be bop
Never leave your cat alone!
posted by Weftage at 7:04 AM on February 19, 2016
Best answer: Note that a lot of these are for older children. If you don't know that the recipient isn't space constrained and wouldn't mind having books sitting unopened on the shelf for 3-4 years, focus on ones for younger kids. Presumably you will be able to send age-appropriate books for years to come.
Picture-focused and rhyming are good. For example, Subway has bright pictures and a sing-songy words, so is fun even for a six-month old. And while not classic, there are books specifically designed for infants (e.g.), with high contrast images for developing eyes.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:33 AM on February 19, 2016
Picture-focused and rhyming are good. For example, Subway has bright pictures and a sing-songy words, so is fun even for a six-month old. And while not classic, there are books specifically designed for infants (e.g.), with high contrast images for developing eyes.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:33 AM on February 19, 2016
Best answer: Mr Rabbit and the Lovely Present (Sendak illustrations) is just so fantastic.
posted by colie at 8:33 AM on February 19, 2016
posted by colie at 8:33 AM on February 19, 2016
Best answer: A Child's Book of Poems is from the late 60's. It includes great illustrations from Gyo Fujikawa. We've been reading them to our daughter and son since they were very little, and often many people remember the book from their childhood when they see it.
posted by montag2k at 9:20 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by montag2k at 9:20 AM on February 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Coming back to add Make Way for Ducklings and the Little Bear series (most illustrated by Sendak).
posted by gudrun at 1:57 PM on February 19, 2016
posted by gudrun at 1:57 PM on February 19, 2016
Best answer: Seconding Ezra Jack Keats and Harold and the Purple Crayon, and adding Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (but only the original book).
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 7:41 PM on February 19, 2016
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 7:41 PM on February 19, 2016
Best answer: If the family celebrates Christmas, Mary Chalmers wrote a sweet Christmas book (not religious) for the very young. It is sadly out of print but appears in the used market: A Christmas Story. Sample illustration.
posted by gudrun at 9:02 AM on February 20, 2016
posted by gudrun at 9:02 AM on February 20, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks to everybody once again for the suggestions! The books were a hit at the shower.
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:20 PM on March 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:20 PM on March 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Update: she is amazing.
posted by Pope Guilty at 3:16 PM on May 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 3:16 PM on May 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
A little later, Richard Scarry, Maurice Sendak, and Jan Brett.
posted by Lou Stuells at 4:28 PM on February 18, 2016 [7 favorites]