like most children his age, jaden LOVES books. thank goodness for libraries because our wallets can’t possibly keep up with his love of reading. we check out tons of books every few weeks but only a handful get renewed over and over again and eventually get purchased for our home library. jaden was an early reader (he started reading full sentences at two and a half years old) and he’s currently reading at the first grade level but his understanding of the world and his sense of humor are that of a three year old boy. many of the books he likes are preschool favorites and classics. below are ten of jaden’s current favorites.
1. Harold and the Purple Crayon
tiny wide-eyed harold, in his one piece jammies and purple crayon in hand, wanders through the night drawing everything his curious young mind can conjure – from drawing the moon to light his way to drawing his own bed when he gets tired. this beloved classic has really opened up jaden’s imagination. truly a magical book!
2. The Little Fish that Got Away
simple and classic book about a little boy and a clever fish. the whole book is full of fun repetitive sentences and it has a humorous yet predictable storyline so even young toddlers will enjoy this one.
3. Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale
a little girl named trixie loses her favorite toy, knuffle bunny, and grows increasingly frustrated because she can’t communicate to her dad what has happened. the psychology of the book is very realistic and any child who has a favorite toy can relate. jaden finds the near catastrophe of knuffle bunny riveting every single time!
4. Duck! Rabbit!
this is such a fun and creative book about two unseen characters debating whether what they see is a duck or a rabbit. great book to teach children perspective and how there is more than one way to look at things.
5. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
hilarious book about a pigeon that pleads, bargains, and tries to trick and cajole the reader to let him drive the city bus. in the beginning of the book, the bus driver has asked the reader to never let the pigeon drive the bus so jaden gets a kick out of saying NO to the pigeon again and again. very engaging!
6. Llama Llama Red Pajama
baby llama turns bed time into an all-out llama drama. i love this book because it addresses a common problem in our house – bedtime fears – and reinforces that even though mama may not always be right there, she is always near. we also love Llama Llama Mad at Mama.
7. Not a Box
simple book about a rabbit and a box – a box that is not a box. it’s a lot of things but not a box. the magic of a simple cardboard box is encapsulated in this book. to jaden, a box was always just a box…until he read this book. very charming and imaginative.
8. AlphaOops!: The Day Z Went First
fun book about how Z is tired of being last in the alphabet and wants to go first. the letters agree to go backwards until P has ideas of his own and then everything turns to chaos. jaden thinks the incongruities are hilarious. definitely not a book to teach the order of the alphabet but if your child knows his ABCs this book is sure to entertain.
9. 1-2-3 Peas
jaden loves counting and numbers but a lot of books only cover up to the number twenty so he was delighted that this one took him all the way to one hundred. he likes to actually count the peas for each number so we spend a great deal of time on the last page (the number 100). the illustrations have such great details we see something new every time we read the book. he also really enjoys LMNO Peas written by the same author.
10. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato
according to the reviews, many parents claim that this book has helped their picky toddler try new foods. unfortunately, calling carrots “orange twiglets from jupiter” and tomatoes “moon squirters” didn’t work for jaden but regardless he absolutely adores this book. he loves all the silly food names and tries the same tactics with his own little sister when she refuses to eat her vegetables.
jaden’s list of favorite books change every few months so i’ll be sure to update when we have other great recommendations!