Family Favorites

Over the years of reading together our kids have listened to more books read aloud than I could estimate. There are countless many that I'm sure I don't even remember. However, there are a select group of books that have etched themselves into their hearts (and, consequently, mine!) as lasting favorites. Some are well-known and loved classics; others, random books we have stumbled upon that have left us pleasantly surprised. They are the books that are worn with love; pages bent by tiny fingers just learning to turn the pages, and many with tape lovingly repairing where those tiny fingers were a little too rough. These are the books that are dragged to Mommy and Daddy over and over, with the sweet plea to "read it again, please!" Here are the ones that come to mind right away (so many memories come to mind just thinking about them!):

• Baby Shoes, written by Dashka Slater & illustrated by Hiroe Nakata
  
• Duck on a Bike, by David Shannon
  
• Are You My Mother?, by P.D. Eastman
  
• God Gave Us You, written by Lisa Tawn Bergren & illustrated by Laura J. Bryant
  
• God Gave Us Two, written by Lisa Tawn Bergren & illustrated by Laura J. Bryant
  
• The New Adventures of Curious George, by H.A. Rey
  
• Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?, by Eric Carle
  
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, written by Bill Martin, Jr. & illustrated by Eric Carle
  
• Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?, by Eric Carle
  
• Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?, by Eric Carle
  
• Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, by Eric Carle
  
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle
  
• The Very Lonely Firefly, by Eric Carle
  
• The Very Busy Spider, by Eric Carle
  
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, written by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault & illustrated by Lois Ehlert
  
• I Love You Through and Through, written by Bernadette Rosetti-Shustak & illustrated by Caroline J. Church
  
• You're All My Favorites, written by Sam McBratney & illustrated by Anita Jeram
  
• Amelia Bedelia Helps Out, written by Peggy Parish & illustrated by Lynn Sweat
  
• Daddy's Little Girl, words and music by Bobby Burke and Horace Gerlach & illustrated by Maggie Kneen
  
• Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Partners, written by Erica Silverman & illustrated by Besty Lewin
  
• You Are My I Love You, written by Maryann K. Cusimano & illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa
  
• Sailing Off to Sleep, written by Linda Ashman & illustrated by Susan Winter
  
• Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, written by Eugene W. Field & illustrated by David McPhail
  
• Mother Goose, illustrated by Aurelius Battaglia
  
• Tawny Scrawny Lion, by Kathryn Jackson & illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren
  
• Goodnight, My Duckling, by Nancy Tafuri
  
• You Are Special, Little One, by Nancy Tafuri
  
• One Magical Day, written by Claire Freedman & illustrated by Tina Macnaughton

There you have it; my list of books that I regularly read to my babies, hope to read to many more babies, and -- some sweet day -- hope to read to my grandbabies! If you have any favorites you'd like to share, please leave a comment so we can check them out, too!

"You may have tangible wealth untold. Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be – I had a mother who read to me."

Strickland Gillilan