I love books and have since I was a little girl.  One of my favorite memories as a child was going to the library every Saturday with my mom.  While she went to browse for her own books, I was allowed to wander around the children’s section by myself picking out whatever I wanted to read for the week.  We were such regulars that all the librarians knew me and gave me nicknames like Little Book Worm. They even let me come behind the desk to look at the books that people had just returned in case there was something interesting that wasn’t shelved yet. Rummaging through those boxes was like a treasure hunt to me, as I knew somewhere amongst them was going to be the next great story that would envelop my mind and melt away the afternoon hours.

So naturally when I discovered I was expecting Drake, a whole new world of books was open to me — children’s books!  The beauty of that was not only could I look back and find books that I adored as a child and wanted to share with my children, but there were so many new books out there as well to be discovered.  (I secretly admit that I started buying a few children’s books here and there years before I even had Drake after seeing some delightful covers when biding my time in book stores. We read those to Drake when he was in my womb.)

I noticed that just like my book picks for myself, I tend to like certain authors and will buy a lot of their books after seeing how Drake takes to them. So I thought I would share some of our favorites in hopes that maybe your LO will also enjoy the delights they have to offer.


Drake’s bookshelf. He has another bin of books downstairs.  

ADVERTISEMENT
Jennifer Adams (Baby Lit)– I am a huge fan of the classics (Wuthering Heights being my all time favorite book), so when I saw an author had taken classic titles that I knew as an adult and changed them for the under 3 crowd, I knew we had to have some. Drake’s first Christmas brought him Romeo and Juliet and since then he has acquired several more, including Wuthering Heights naturally. Most of the books are very basic — counting, colors, opposites, etc with a few pictures and references to the classic story they are referencing.  Kids won’t naturally get the real story from these books, but if you are a bibliophile like me, the idea and concept are too adorable to pass up and who knows — maybe your LO will remember these titles fondly when they grow up and actually encounter the real story.

Matthew Van Fleet- Matthew Van Fleet is an author I actually discovered when I was working in a nursery school years before I had Drake (I don’t even think I was engaged to Mr. Chocolate yet).  In our classroom we had his book called Tails and it was the general favorite in the class whenever we read it at story time. Even the children who didn’t sit well during story time would always crowd around to look at the book, and I think the reason is beyond the charming drawings the book; it’s very interactive with pulls and pop ups and lots of other things that delight little kids. I admit I bought Tails before Drake was even in the picture and after he was born and I saw how much it delighted him just like it did the kids I cared for years ago, I went out and bought him Heads and Alphabet, both of which were as well received as Tails. It’s hard to describe how fun the book is with words, so I suggest next time you are in a bookstore open it yourself to see. Van Fleet has some other titles but we don’t own them yet. Recently I saw that he came out with some tinier versions called Sniff and Lick which feature his familiar animal drawings, and I think those will be finding their way to our home soon for Drake’s birthday.

Oliver Dunrea- I discovered Oliver Dunrea when I was browsing through a book store one day and fell in love with his simple little drawings and charming stories about a group of little goslings.  When I first discovered  them, I didn’t realize this would become a longer series as Dunrea added more and more goslings to the flock (I eventually emailed him late last year and he told me the series would end with a baker’s dozen of goslings, so more are still coming.) Every time I discovered a new gosling had been added to the flock, I would pick up the book and Mr. Chocolate and I would read them to one another (and Drake in utero at first and then out) so that the goslings in some sense became part of our family culture, and we would reference them from time to time in certain situations.  Since he has heard them for so long now, Drake has a great fondness for these stories and we almost always read at least one gosling adventure before bed. I eagerly await every time a new gosling pops up.

Sandra Boynton- I think most parents I think are familiar with Boynton since she is one of the most popular and prolific children’s book writers for the toddler age set.  My MIL actually bought Drake his first Boynton book (The Going to Bed Book) as she remembers reading them to Mr. Chocolate when he was younger, and how the rhymes were very pleasing sounding for a baby. I never remembered her from my own childhood, but because of MIL’s love of her books, I ended up buying them for her to read to Drake since she came to watch him once or twice a week. I thought it was a nice activity for them both.  Drake is still delighted by many of the stories including Your Personal Penguin and But Not the Hippopotamus even as he has grown.

David Walker- Ok I admit this last one is a bit of a cheat as Walker isn’t an author but an illustrator. When I look for children’s books, I like a balance of nice stories (interesting, funny, a good message, etc) as well as sweet illustrations.  I noticed one day that many of the books with illustrations I liked the most looked quite similar, and that’s when I learned they were all done by this same illustrator.  I looked him up through Amazon and saw the books he illustrated had nice, fun, engaging stories, so I decided to follow his work as I would other author I enjoyed.  Of the books he illustrated, Flip Flap Fly and the Bears on Chairs series are Drake’s favorites.

What are some of your LO’s favorite books/authors? I always love discovering a new book for Drake!