favorite children's books in our house! so far...

so sarah bessey has been doing a book week and my friend CS has been posting her faves.  in the spirit of yesterday's category of children's books, I thought it would be fun to post some of our favorites.  now, there are some books that I know are classics, and they're just great - I can't wait to get my hands on some of the books I've read about on these ladies' blogs, they sound just precious!  my list today, while containing a classic or two, is more of a compilation of Maggie's actual favorite books to date that we've read over and over whether M and I like them or not... in fact, we think some of the things she loves are silly, cheap little nothing books that don't have much to say or teach, but for some reason my newly 2 year old child likes them and far be it from me to diss a book.  like this one:

I'm pretty sure Grammy picked up My Speedy Turtle for her while they were at the fabric store.  our daughter still loves this... in fact, we read it this morning, and she just saw it here and said 'tuh-tuh!!'

we love Elmo and Sesame Street around here.  M and I watched the documentary 'Being Elmo' last night and it made me love them even more, frankly.  Maggie has some pretty dinky little SS books that really aren't well-conceived, but whatever - she loves them all.  The Look and Find above, which I picked up at Ross, was all she wanted for months...

another series totally found at Marshall's/Ross.  Leslie Patricelli's board books are fun, provided a lot of interaction and learning concepts with Magz early on, and we like them all... Quiet Loud, Big Little, Yes No...

this is STILL a favorite, and we read it just about every night.  we know it well enough that I just sit back and storytell and she interacts by pointing things out and saying 'hussshhhh!'.  she also likes The Runaway Bunny.

in the category of books I know by heart so well that now all I do is try to switch up my accents and voices, I give you The Rainbow Fish, a bath book.  I'm pretty sure this book recently made some list of weirdest/sadistic books for little ones - the rainbow fish does choose to share his shining scales with others to make friends, which I guess technically could be construed as self-mutilation - and M and I have joked that the overriding theme could make some cry 'socialist agenda!'  Magz doesn't care about any of this, and I love hearing her finish/act out some of the sentences/words.  'What does the Rainbow Fish say to the little blue fish, Maggie?  "Never!!" (with an emphatic shake of her head)'

both of these are still in regular rotation.  go Eric Carle!

and now we mention Mo Willems.

in the category of books that are fun for adults to read, too, I give you Mr. Willems.  we got these books when Magz was probably considered too young for such ones, but she's always liked them.  our first Knuffle Bunny book is tattered and taped together, and is still the fave (though book two gets more and more viewings... we've not purchased book three yet).  the elephant and piggie books are super fun, and again, fun to read if you're the one doing a lot of reading (piggie is a girl, btw.  so, you know, give her the girl voice).  There Is a Bird on Your Head!  and We are in a Book!  are our favorites, though Maggie also likes Can I Play, Too?...

Along with other long books that you sort of sigh about having to read over and over again (like the Elmo Look and Find!), we have a couple of these First Words books and Magz never tires of them.  She always likes things that involve being quizzed about what or where things are and likes that kind of interaction while reading no matter what kind of book it is, and now that she's starting to count and identify letters/colors/etc I know I need to stop rolling my eyes and rushing through educational opportunities... 

we were given The Jesus Storybook bible recently (by CS, coincidentally - thank you!!!) and I think it's by far the greatest children's bible ever.  however, this Beginner's Bible was given to Magz at her baby dedication at church and it's what we've had, so this is the one she currently prefers at night and when she wants to read to her baby.  I think it's an easier version for her to 'get' right now, as the stories are short and simple.  

I see no end to reading this book.

another that would probably be considered waaaay beyond her comprehension, we were given Grace For President by some friends - Maggie took to it when she was tiny and continues to pluck it from the bookshelf.  Especially when she was little, we had to skip over bits that bogged the main plot down (like how electoral votes break down... that's a little hard for a one-year old to follow), but it's been fun to watch her want to hear more and more.  I think it's a pretty fun and educational 'girls can do it, too!' book that has a positive message about working hard for what you want.

I would be seriously remiss if I didn't include this 'book' - Another Monster at the End of This Book, courtesy of the app store.  it's on our phones and on the ipad, and it has been very, very beloved for a long time.  if we had a nickel for every time she's 'read' this book, I'd be driving my blue Nissan Murano already.

there are so many honorable mention books to list, and books that seem to be becoming new favorites, like the Olivia books, which I also enjoy reading.  E McD gifted Magz her first one, and after sitting on the shelf a few months Magz suddenly discovered it and started pulling it out like clockwork, so we've since also purchased Olivia Saves the Circus (we actually just set the DVR to record the show later today, to see what that's like).  I'm glad Magz loves books of all stripes, and I look forward to introducing her to more and more.  

and I'm still pregnant over here happy fourth of july.

-m.y.