Nothing
quite compares to snuggling up to a good book and escaping into its pages with
your child. Then there are books you hide or sneak into your thrift shop
donation box, hoping you’ll never have to read them again. We’ve all been
there.
Poetry or
prose, some books just resonate with me as a mother, and I could read them over
and over again. Here is a list of 12 picture books I could read with my kids
every day.
This book
is well-loved by all my children. The simple, welcoming illustrations and
narration can be understood by a baby, but older kids love the mystery of the
book and looking for the little chick’s parents, who can be glimpsed in the
background. My kids love the illustrations, the hatching scene and the little
chick’s happy ending. I have been reading and enjoying it as long as I’ve been
a mother.
I fell in
love with this book at storytime at the library where it was read with such
pizzaz, yelling and shouting that we brought it home with us that same day. Mr.
McGreely has finally realized his dream of planting a garden, but three sneaky
bunnies come by night and — muncha, muncha, muncha — eat all his hard work.
This book is best read quickly with voices and mock-shouting and throwing
yourself into the rhythm of the words. It is a blast to read.
Dr.
Seuss-like in its whimsy and word choices, almost every line in this book has
11 syllables and rhymes in couplets. I was a little surprised to see a book written
by the musician, and after renewing this one to the limit at the library, I can
say this book is just as good and clever as his songs. I love the messages this
conveys to children — they can grow up to be whatever they want to be, and
their imagination is the only limit. I have been known to lapse into singing
Yankovic’s “Yoda” while I read this book because “I met him in the swamp down
in Dagobah” also happens to have 11 syllables.
Perfectly
capturing the brown-to-green spring transformation, this book has fueled my
kids’ love for our garden. It’s helped them understand the waiting game of
gardening, and to appreciate the work we do there. Both the words and pictures
are simple but expressive of the curiosity of childhood and the anticipation of
spring.
This is a
southwestern, Spanglish-style version of "The Little Red Hen." I like
to read this one with my “Nacho Libre” accent, and my kids love the tale of
Iguana, her fiesta and her three friends who are too lazy to help. My kids are
all about parties and piñatas, and what parent doesn’t love a lesson about
helping?
We gave
this book to my husband two years ago for Father’s Day because it is a spot-on
description for what kind of dad he is. Giving the kids horsey rides, swinging
them high in the air, cooking a meal with them and comforting them in the night
are a handful of the rites of passage in fatherhood, and ones that for me are
remembered and savored. They are also things that, in the right moment, you
watch happen as a mother and find your heart swelling until your eyes brim with
tears.
This is a
story about a girl named Sophie who adopts a butternut squash as a best friend
and names it Bernice. They go on adventures and make lots of memories until
Bernice starts to get a little mushy. The ending is perfect. I love it because
it reminds me that sometimes the best toys aren’t toys at all, and it reminds
me of my own niece who had a similar friendship with a zucchini.
This book
is filled with simple, beautiful poetry that captures the wonder of a childhood
spent in nature, playing, learning and observing. It was my sons' first
exposure to poetry outright, and they enjoyed listening to it almost as much as
I enjoyed reading it to them. More than 100-plus pages of this book are filled
with beautiful mixed media art that enriches the poems, and after checking this
one out from the library — and renewing it again and again — it is one of those
books that I have to buy.
A
hilarious how-to book about how one can go about hosting a taco party for
dragons, because dragons really love tacos. My son requested tacos for dinner
on his birthday last year and we read the book out loud to the kids beforehand
— and you can bet those tacos were a hit. Funky and a little bit nerdy in its
style and artwork, this is a fun read.
"The
Red Lemon" is a classic in our home. I love the graphic-arts feel to this
book. Its geometrical simplicity, patterns and bright colors make this book
stand out.
This book
tells a story of a castoff red lemon that doesn’t fit the yellow mold. It’s a
modern day “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” story. The rhythm and
rhyme of the words is catchy and fun, and when my oldest son was 2, he had it
memorized — and I did too.
This book
about a little monster and his mama and how he knows she loves him captures the
adventures and fun of toddlerhood and the fun of motherhood. My kids love it
because it includes some of our favorite things to do together, with a little
bit of spooky mixed in. This is another book I have memorized, and I also own a
signed copy. Illustrator Mark Buehner lives in Salt Lake City and has been
known to visit book fairs and local elementary schools with his wife, author
Caralyn Buehner.
A
wonderful book about the beauty of friendship, its simplicity captures more
feeling than I can articulate in twice as many words. Friendship can last
through the seasons of life, and friends can pick up exactly where they left
off. Friends can always hold a place in your heart and memory, and they can
teach you lessons that change you. The watercolor pictures are beautiful.
Alison Snyder has a bachelor's degree in print journalism from Brigham
Young University. She lives in St. George, Utah.
