Our Favorite...Boynton, Meyer, Berenstain Love

This week had been filled with the sharing of good books! Hooray! I am very excited to get to the library and check out some of the ones that we haven't read at our house yet. So finally, here are a few that we love and which will probably always be included in the stack to read at bedtime. I think I love them the most because I can remember them from my childhood. They are the "oldies but goodies" that might, among so many new favorites, get overlooked. I am also beginning to see the brilliance in how they are written now that my oldest is beginning to read along. The words are simple, the sentence structure is simple, and there is purpose behind each line. All of these things are helping her love to read.

Each Berenstain Bear book has a message that teaches something valuable. There are tons of them, and it is fun to follow the family as they learn and grow together. These are the kind of books that help parents and kids have conversations about things that might be a problem. Having a reliable and trusted storybook character that the child can relate to helps teach correct behavior without using discouraging discipline in the heat of a situation.

Mercer Mayer's Little Critters are so much fun! I love the relationship between the brother and sister and the reality of each situation. Whether it is shopping with their mom or cleaning the bedroom, the characters in these books are true to life and entertaining. However, I wish I could determine what kind of "little critter" they are. Do any of you know?

And finally, I have come to LOVE Sandra Boynton. Her board books are perfect for little people. These are the ones that I started reading to my oldest when she was an infant and we are still reading them together now that she is four. They have cute illustrations and almost always implement some form of humor that the children love--and we do too!

Here is a video of me and my daughter reading one of our favorite books. It is a song--I'm not really sure how the tune is supposed to go, but the way we sing it is the way I have been singing it for years now...


A few more Sandra Boynton books to check out are:

and...

This last one is a silly teaching tool that makes my one-and-a-half-year-old giggle because she can read along as the silly turkey discovers how to dress properly. It teaches colors and is a simple way to involve even the youngest child in the reading process.

What are your "oldie-but-goodie" favorites? What books have you found to be the best teaching tools?