Children's Books Part 1

I love children's book. I think that they are fun, imaginative and can open up whole worlds to children that they wouldn't know about otherwise. They can help children problem solve, understand relationships better and so much more. Also kids who like to listen to stories are more likely to enjoy reading and children who enjoy reading more often do better in school.

For my Early Childhood Education class we had to put together a list of our favorite 10 children's books and write a little about each book. This assignment was right up my alley, the hardest part, besides taking time to do the writing, was limiting the number of books to only 10.

Here are the first 5 I chose. I didn't do them in any favorite order, but ordered them by which ones I got first from the library. So there is nothing special about the order.

Vera Goes To The Dentist
Written and illustrated by Vera Rosenberry

Summary: Vera has her first appointment with the dentist and things are a little different than she expects. She ends up biting the dentist’s finger, running away and finally has her teeth cleaned after a second try in the dentist’s chair.

Why Read: Vera is such a real character from wearing her favorite skirt to feel strong and brave to her response of running away from her first dentist appointment. I like that Vera overcomes her fear and finishes her appointment with the dentist and finds that things were not as bad as she feared. Vera’s story shows that little people have big events in life.




Not Norman: A Goldfish Story
Written by Kelly Bennett and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones

Summary: Norman is a goldfish who was given as a gift to a little boy who really did not want a goldfish for a pet. After trying to trade Norman for another pet the little boy starts to realize just how special Norman is and decides to keep him.

Why Read: A fun story about how any pet can be special from the little boy’s point of view. This story can open up conversation about why kids think their pets are special and what kind of pet they would choose if given a chance.





Good Night, Gorilla
Written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann

Summary: A zoo keeper tucks all the animals in to bed for the night at his zoo. He does not realize that a little gorilla is right behind him letting all the animals out so that they can sleep with the zoo keeper and his wife.

Why Read: This book does not have a lot of words and leaves a lot of the detail of the story up to the reader. It can be a very elaborate or simply told story depending on the reader. I like this book, because it has a lot of artistic detail and the children can tell you their own version of the story if they want to, thus “reading” a book.




Firefighters A to Z
Written and illustrated by Chris L. Demarest

Summary: Goes through the letters of the alphabet, matching each letter to some aspect of fighting fires.

Why Read: Children will enjoy this colorful and detailed booked about fighting fires, while hearing the letters of the alphabet, especially those children that like fire trucks. It brings attention to the need for team work and the bravery of those who fight fires for us.



Franklin's New Friend
Written by Paulette Bourgeouis and Illustrated by Brenda Clark

Summary: A new animal moves into Franklin the turtle’s part of the woods. Franklin when he first sees his new neighbors is scared of them, because they are Moose and very big. Franklin learns to not judge by what an animal looks like, but to accept them for who they are.

Why Read: The story of Franklin learning to overcome his fear and get to know his new neighbor and classmate is very sweet. The book brings attention to the fact it is not what someone looks like that matters and that we all can be friends with someone very different from us. The role that adults play in this book is very good too. They are not condescending or controlling, but offer sound advice to Franklin and try to help him have empathy for Moose, allowing Franklin to make his choice to reach out to Moose and be his friend on his own.

Go Forth and Read,

Naomi