1. Roxaboxen. Written by Alice McLerran and illustrated by Barbara Cooney.
Barbara Cooney is quite possibly my favorite children’s illustrator of all time. Her vivid watercolors evoke a sense of a better world in days gone by. However, Alice McLerran’s story is the real reason I love this book. A small group of children create an imaginary town in the desert, complete with stores, currency, and a mayor. I always wanted to live in Roxaboxen and have my own house, edged with white stones and desert glass.
2. Tikki Tikki Tembo. Retold by Arlene Mosel and illustrated by Blair Lent.
I first remember hearing Tikki Tikki Tembo at the age of five years old, when my teacher at BSF read it to our class. This retelling of a Chinese legend quickly became a household favorite. After all, who wouldn’t want to repeat Tikki-tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo over and over again? We always made our babysitter read it to us and gave her a copy when she got married last summer.
3. Bored—Nothing to Do! Written and illustrated by Peter Spier.
I think Bored—Nothing to Do! is my mom's favorite children’s book. Illustrated in detailed watercolors, Peter Spier tells the story of two brothers who were bored and end up tearing the house apart to build an airplane. I always marveled at the number of toys the boys had strewn all over their room and yard – how could they still be bored? Sadly, this book is now out of print and nearly impossible to find.
4. The Tooth-Gnasher Superflash. Written and illustrated by Daniel Pinkwater.
If you’re starting to get the impression that we watched too much Reading Rainbow as kids, you’re right. The Tooth-Gnasher Superflash sat on our shelf until our grandpa came to visit and gave each of the characters a funny voice. The book became an instant hit, as we went around the house chanting in high voices, “Buy it, Daddy, buy it!” (the five little Popsnorkles) and remarking in an airhead voice “It is a lovely color” (Mrs. Popsnorkle). Besides enjoying the characters, we thought it would be cool to have a car that turned into a giant chicken, too.
5. Could Be Worse! Written and illustrated by James Stevenson.
This tale of a fantastic nightmare has the refrain, “Could be worse!” Another of our read-aloud favorites, we made our babysitter read it over and over again. As she got to the familiar refrain, we would always chime in, “Could be worse!” (Our babysitter probably said this often to herself as my siblings and I climbed on each other and locked ourselves in closets for protection.)
What were some of your favorite picture books?
Strangely enough, I've only heard of one of those; I have read and enjoyed Could Be Worse!.
ReplyDeleteFour of my favorites quickly came to mind: Robert McCloskey's Blueberries for Sal and Make Way for Ducklings, Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Virginia Lee Burton's Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel. A fifth doesn't stand out to me right now.
In the order that I can remember here are ten excellent books:
ReplyDelete1) Are You My Mother? - Ah, mothering.
2) The Giving Tree - I am continually discovering the moral and political lessons I subconsciously learned with this book.
3) The Dutchess Bakes a Cake - Funny, mischeivous, and subtly didactic story about a clueless noblewoman who gets herself into a sticky situation.
4) Hop On Pop - The first book I could "read" all by myself (meaning I had it memorized and pretended to read so I could show off).
5) Caps For Sale - "A soft answer . . ." makes for a very funny story twist.
6) The Oxcart Man - I love the industry, economy, and rhythm of this book. It always makes me want to keep sheep, or something.
7) Go Dogs Go - "Do you like my hat? I do not!"
8) If Everybody Did - In the way of didactic books, this one is actually fun; though, looking back it does have a distinctly Kantian theory of ethics.
9) Curious George - There's a reason why second borns love this series. Note that in the end, all works out and he ends up having saved the day. ;)
10) Ten Apples Up On Top - A great mix of numbers, adventure, and even some moral situations, I mean who would have thought that counting would also teach humility?
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ReplyDelete"Each Peach Pear Plum" a Rhyming book that mixed up fairy tales and nursery rhymes.
ReplyDeleteI was also fond of everything Bill Peet ever wrote. :)