My favorite gift to give and to receive around the holidays are books for my children. I love seeing my sweet kids curled up with a good book and enjoying a quiet moment reading. Thanks to our frequent library trips and making our own reading a priority, I have raised two readers with ferocious appetites for a good book. I am so proud!
This is our list, created with my children, of our favorite books that we have read this year.
1.) Alice the Fairy by David Shannon- My daughter’s favorite book this year has been, “Alice the Fairy.” I had found a paperback edition at my son’s book fair and the pages have already been lovingly worn after being read almost every single day by myself or by her.
Alice considers herself a temporary fairy because she has not gone to fairy school yet to become a permanent fairy. Her super fairy powers include changing her dress colors (by spilling her juice) and making cookies mine (by eating them). Fairies never eat food that has been poisoned by the “wicked duchess” (broccoli served by her mother) and she has yet to learn the one super fairy power that her mother wishes she did…making clothes dance away into the hamper.
This book will make you giggle out loud and has the sense of humor and comedic writing that David Shannon is known for. If you are at the library, just pick up every book by this author and enjoy every single book he has written! (Amazon Price- $11.55)
2.) Olivia Helps with Christmas by Ian Falconer- Last year one of my last minute holiday purchases for the kids included the book, “Olivia Helps with Christmas.” This immediately became an instant holiday classic in the Clark house and I know that your children will love it just as much as we have. It was the book that we kept out on the coffee table that got lots of giggles from grandparents and children alike.
This book focuses on all of the holiday traditions and planning that the family does to get ready for the holiday festivities. Olivia helps her mother by setting the holiday table (by removing the top of the Christmas tree for a centerpiece), burning the holiday cookies, and overfeeding the baby (until he pukes).
More than that, it perfectly captures the nervous excitement that children go through waiting for a visit from Saint Nick and the disappointment with those boring holiday gifts. I guarantee that this will be a book that you read over and over again- the perfect addition to any holiday book basket! (Amazon Price- $11.10)
3.) Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea- One of my son’s favorite books this year is, “Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime” and I am sure it will get a giggle or two out of you too. This book is ideal for a beginning reader or for a child with a short attention span.
The book is a simple concept, can a dinosaur conquer and win matches against anything from a bowl full of spaghetti to a room full of talking grown-ups? In each round, the dinosaur wins with a giant, “ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!”
He conquers everything there is to conquer, but then has to face his toughest match yet… bedtime! Will he ever win it? As the dinosaur winds down, even he admits that bedtime is just one thing he can’t conquer.
This is a fantastic bedtime story that is nice and short…with a goodnight and sweet dreams finish! (Amazon Price- $10.87)
4) Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems- Our family is in love with Mo Willems! My son loves his easy readers and my daughter adores the Knuffle Bunny series. He is one of those author’s that has a fun book for everyone in your family.
This year our new favorite book was, “Naked Mole Rate Gets Dressed.” If the title doesn’t make you laugh, then this book might not be for you!
Wilbur is a naked mole rat who doesn’t like being…so naked. He loves to wear clothes and adds variety into his wardrobe with everything from his space suit to his tuxedo. He hates feeling naked, but no one in his naked rat community agrees.
The naked mole rats decide to have a town meeting with the most naked mole rat of them all.. Grand-pah. Much to the town’s surprise, Grand-pah arrives in his own seersucker suit to address the issue at hand and the town realizes that sometimes it might be okay to be dressed. (Amazon Price- $11.55)
5) Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann & Elizabeth Kann- My daughter’s favorite colors in the world right now are pink and purple. Luckily, there is a book out there for a child that is obsessed with pink, w
ith purple, and even with gold.
Pinkalicious is a book about a little girl that is obsessed with pink. Everything she uses and eats must be pink which leads to a horrible case of pinkitis, a condition that turns her physically pink. Is too much of pink a bad thing? This cautionary tale shares how even our favorite things in the world are best in moderation.
The book is a delight for the eyes and perfect for the perfectly pink princess in your life (Amazon Price- $10.52)
6.) Ladybug Girl & Bumblebee Boy by David Soman- If you are not acquainted with the original, “Ladybug Girl,” be sure to check out that book, but for a household that has both boys and girls, the new, “Ladybug Girl & Bumblebee Boy” strikes the perfect balance.
Ladybug Girl is an endearing little girl who is all about girl power! She is a positive little girl that can do anything including counting to infinity and jumping over sidewalk cracks. When her mom brings her to the park she is unable to figure out how her and her friend Sam can play together. Noticing his yellow and black striped shirt, they decide that the he can be bumblebee boy and they can save the day together. As other children want to join in, they give them their own character names and Ladybug Girl realizes that they can do so much more good working together as a team rather than separately.
This is a book that not only your girls will love, but your boys can love too! Don’t overlook this book for your family (Amazon Price- $11.55)
7) Scribbles: A Really Giant Drawing & Coloring Book– Want to get your child to read and use their imagination too? The Scribbles drawing book is the perfect book to encourage your child to read and draw together.
Instead of having you simply color, each page tells you something that it would like you to draw. One page will tell him that the alligator is angry and have him fill in his face. Other pictures are exactly alike, but may request colors and patterns to make each of the pictures different. My favorite series is a simple line that is drawn and then it asks you to draw different animals all sitting on the pole. It is truly the best drawing book I have ever come across for allowing children to use their own creativity and imagination to fill in and create pictures.
The book is very durable and it is truly giant. My son still has many more pages to do and with the durability factor, I plan to tuck this away with his age on it as a keepsake of his creative talent at this age. Because the child is doing all of the drawing, you could buy the same book again another year and see what different things they come up with. (Amazon Price- $13.59)
8) Charlie & Lola: We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers by Lauren Child- My kids both really love the Charlie & Lola series. This book in particular is a new favorite as it teaches children the importance of recycling and how you can do your part.
Charlie convinces his little sister, Lola, to recycle her old toys instead of throwing them away. When Lola discovers there is a recycling contest at school that can earn the school a free tree, she begins learning and doing her part to do everything she can to recycle.
The book is printed on FSC-approved paper and includes recycling tips as well as a tree poster just like Lola’s, so kids can keep track of their recycling projects and help to save the planet all on their own. (Amazon-$11.55)
9) Finn Throws a Fit by David Elliott- Do you deal with crazy toddler tantrums in your house? We have had all too many in our home with our children, and maybe that is why this book is so laugh-out-loud funny.
Finn loves peaches, but on this particular day, he hates peaches. Finn goes into a tantrum that is unlike any other tantrum you have ever seen. The illustrations of his tantrum will make you and your children laugh from the bottom of your toes. His tears flood the floor so much that his mom has to stand on a table so she doesn’t drown, his tantrum creates real storms and avalanches, and the drawings set the book up perfectly for the perfect tantrum storm that is brewing in Finn’s house.
This is a great book for kids, but a fantastic gift to give to a mom that is dealing with those terrible twos and threes that will shed a little humor onto a stressful parenting situation. (Amazon Price- $11.55)
10) Twimericks by Lou Brooks- This is a book that I actually received as a sample copy to review, but will be a fast favorite in our household. Our son is in first grade and loves telling jokes, tongue twisters, and
riddles. If you have a child like that in your house, then this book is for them!
Twimericks are what happens when tongue twisters crash into limericks. It is an adorable book that will be perfect for a long car trip or read aloud and passed around at your child’s birthday party.
The illustrations are deliciously old-fashioned and funny which make this book already look like an instant classic. Don’t forget to put your name in the cover where it says, This Beak BooLongs To…” Seriously hilarious and highly addictive, this book is perfect for children and adults alike (Amazon Price- $8.95)
What are your kid’s favorite books this year? Please share your favorite picks of the year here!