We love books at our house. We have two tall bookshelves overflowing with novels, a wide shelf with children’s books stuffed in at every angle, books stashed in drawers and under beds, and piles of books towering precociously on coffee and end tables. And yet, when I get the question “what books do you like,” I never seem to have the right answer. Well, today I have an answer! Here are five great children’s books that seem to stay at the top of the pile and make their way into our hands whenever it’s time for my children and I to sit in our big arm chair, cuddle up, and read a good story.

1. Marguerite Makes a Book

(by Bruce Robertson)

Fitting of our obsession with books, this book is about making books. It follows a girl in the 1400’s who wants nothing more then to help her father finish the artwork for the handmade book he is making for his patron. It’s an inspiring story of a young girl taking on a challenge and using craftsmanship to prove her talent, while offering historical perspective on how books used to be made. You can read more about the book here.

2. Pancakes for Breakfast

(by Tomie dePaola)

This book has no words. I don’t mean that in a cute way, I mean that it literally has no words in it–it’s just pictures. The genius of not having any printed text is that as the parent you have to make the story up as you go along! This makes the experience of reading this book more interactive and my kids absolutely love it. The story follows a woman as she wakes up and decides she wants pancakes. She realizes she has no eggs, so she has to go out to the hen house to get some. We go along on her adventure as she tries to make pancakes for herself and her hungry cat and dog. It’s adorable and I promise you’ll be hungry by the end of it! You can read more about this book here.

3. Fancy Nancy’s Splendiferous Christmas

(by Jane O’Connor)

It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, my kids want me to read this book to them over, and over, and over… The vibrant illustrations picturing Nancy as she and her family prepare for Christmas practically jump off the page, inviting you into a world of tinsel, glitter, and toppling Christmas trees… This one keeps the Christmas spirit alive at my house all year round. Check out more information on the book here.

4. Yoga Bunny

(by Brian Russo)

I may be slightly biased in including this book that was illustrated by an fellow university alumnus of mine, but I find this book so delightfully cute I had to include it. A little bunny wants his animal friends to join him in practicing yoga, but his friends are too busy. My kids like to get out of their seats and get into the yoga poses for this book, stretching their arms into the sky or touching their toes. You can read more about the book here.

5. Goodnight Moon

(by Margaret Wise Brown)

It’s a classic for a reason. This one hasn’t left our nightstand for years, and my kids still love it. There are a world of things to explore in the great green room, from the details in the paintings to a game we like to play of finding the tiny mouse on each page. The room gets darker as the book goes on, causing both my kids and I to yawn by the end of our story time, sleepy and ready to crawl into bed. We have the hardcover edition at our house, and it’s gotten great use over the years. You can read more about the book here.

Great Books – Share Your Favorites

I hope these books give you some inspiration for new things to read with your kiddos. Please share your favorite children’s books in the comments section, we are always looking for new things to read and I also just love hearing what books are close to people’s hearts and why. If you’re a list mania person like me, try using Goodreads, it’s a great way to keep track of things you want to read!