Jonah's Favorite Books

Jonah loves to read. If I am sitting on the floor he will often get a book and then back up into my lap to have it read to him. When I am busy with things like blogging, he is often sitting somewhere "reading" to himself (like right now). Occasionally when reading a paper book I have seen him lick his pointer finger before using it to turn the page (talk about mimicking his Mom's behavior!).

I decided to make a Top 10 list of books we like to read together and let you know why. Hopefully this will be amusing to all my readers and useful to readers with kids Jonah's age or younger who are building up their personal libraries or need suggestions on what to check out at their local library. I will also include a separate list of our favorite Dr. Seuss books for this age.

Possibly all of these books were gifts. A huge thank you to those of you who give such great gifts!

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd
A classic for a reason, although on my first reading of it I thought it was kind of dumb. It has since become a favorite of both Jonah and I. It rhymes and I think I have it memorized. A few times when I have chosen something else to read at bedtime, Jonah will go over and get this one out of his stack and bring it to me. A favorite since birth.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, illustrations by Eric Carle
Animal books feature prominently in Jonah's current favorite books. I do sound effects on every page of this book and he loves it. He can do a lot of his own animal sounds now too (Bear growl, cat meow, dog woof, duck quack, frog ribbit...)

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Not just a good story and illustrations, but nostalgic for both Brandon and I to read to Jo since we had it as children. Plus, any excuse for Jonah to do lots of growling makes him happy.

Good Night, Mr. Night by Dan Yaccarino
We love the illustrations and the clever story. I have been reading this to Jonah since he was born and I never tire of it.

Dinner Time by Jan Pienkowski
A pop-up book full of predators. Very short. Can hardly pry this one out of Jonah's hands even after reading it several times in a row. Have to be careful that little ones don't tear the pop-ups but well worth it. Again, lots of growling. My younger siblings had this book as children and I loved reading it with them when I was younger.

Who Says Quack? by Jerry Smith (with photos of baby animals)
A short board book that always elicits squeals of delight with the pictures. Plus Jonah has always been fascinated by my duck noise and all duck toys.

BIG Little by Leslie Patricelli
Funny, cute. I admit I like this a little more than Jonah does and I can't wait to buy Quiet LOUD and Yummy YUCKY.

Perfect Pets (Bright Baby Touch and Feel) by Roger Priddy
A short touch and feel board book with photos of pets, always a hit. It is often in the car or the crib.

So Many Bunnies: A Bedtime ABC & Counting Book by Rick Walton, illustrated by Paige Miglio
Charming in every way and it rhymes, which I always love.




The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
Great rhythm and a funny story. Good illustrations. This is a fairly new one for us and I think it will be a favorite for years.

And an honorable mention to A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle.

There are so many good Dr. Seuss books out there. Many of them I have never seen until I had Jonah. Here are our favorites for toddlers:

The Tooth Book illustrated by Joseph Mathieu
We'd love this even if Brandon weren't a dentist! Jonah will sometimes have to open his mouth and say "ahhh" during this and sometimes has to tap on my teeth now when we read it. Some moms won't like this book because it uses the phrase "don't be stupid" at least twice.

My Many Colored Days illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
We just discovered this one thanks to Auntie Lisa. Jonah especially LOVES the page with the owl on it. Sometimes "reading" this book consists of just doing the sound effects for the animal on each page or just the blue bird and the owl. What does a flamingo sound like anyway?

Ten Apples Up on Top illustrated by Roy McKie
Good story, good rhyming, all that good stuff.

Great Day for Up! illustrated by Quentin Blake (who illustrated many Roald Dahl books)
A fun morning book.




The Shape of Me and Other Stuff
All outline/shadow illustrations, really great.

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?
Kind of exhausting to read, but lots of fun. So many sound effects! We don't own this one yet but Jonah can still find the owl in it.

Hop on Pop
I like the board book version better for Jonah's age, even though I'm not sure it's any different.

Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now?
I always feel bad for Marvin.

There's a Wocket in my Pocket
My personal favorite as a kid.

I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!
Reminiscent of a couple of his other books and features the Cat in the Hat.