Admittedly, I have a book buying obsession- I prioritize beautiful illustrations, good character development, and an engaging storyline. All of these are current favorites!
Sections
5
chapter books
early readers
picture books
graphic novels
holiday books
chapter books
Our favorite author for all ages- very entertaining as a book, but absolutely delightful read by the author as an audiobook
Mac Undercover (Mac B., Kid Spy #1)
#2 in our favorite children's series. laugh out loud funny, with lots of 90's references to entertain adults
The Impossible Crime (Mac B., Kid Spy #2)
the third mac B book, and my son's favorite mission of the series
Top Secret Smackdown (Mac B., Kid Spy #3)
Mac fights the KGB at a world wide video game tournament
Mac Cracks the Code (Mac B., Kid Spy #4)
Mac helps find stolen Stradivarius violins!
The Sound of Danger (Mac B., Kid Spy #5)
Last kid spy book! Was really sad to see the end of this series
Mac Saves the World (Mac B., Kid Spy #6)
The first in a series of four books about a pranking duo- highly recommend the audio version too!
The Terrible Two
Just as funny as the first!
The Terrible Two Get Worse
Still not letting me down with this series!
The Terrible Two Go Wild
Sadly, the last in this series
The Terrible Two's Last Laugh
My animal loving son loved this set- beautiful packaging and covers by Jon Klassen as well
Pax 2-Book Box Set: Pax and Pax, Journey Home
A classic Roald Dahl- always empowering for a child to read his books, especially this delightfully entertaining one
Matilda
Read this beautiful book with Haven last year- loved the friendships between characters, and how DiCamillo handled tough topics
Louisiana's Way Home: (A Heartfelt Coming-of-Age Middle-Grade Novel of Friendship, Self-Discovery, and Finding Your Place in the World - For Kids Ages 10-14 in Grades 5-9)
Read with my daughter after the companion book, Louisiana's way home. A followup story of finding hope and community
Beverly, Right Here: (A Thoughtful Coming-of-Age Story About Identity, Independence, and the Power of Belonging - A Middle-Grade Novel for Ages 10-13 in Grades 5-6)
Another hit by Sara Pennypacker- this one tackled a lot of identity and confidence and belonging issues with grace
Here in the Real World
a story of a girl with a stutter and her friendship with a kindred spirited snow leopard
Wildoak
cannot vouch for the remainder of the series, but really enjoyed reading the first book aloud to my kids
The Mysterious Benedict Society
A really good book to read with tweens about kindness and unlikely friends and finding yourself
Hello, Universe: A Newbery Award Winner
My suspense and fantasy loving son ate this up! The clues and the mystery after each chapter had us finishing this book in a week
When You Reach Me: (Newbery Medal Winner)
a sweet story about a coyote that has the job of surveying a town to keep it safe for the animals
The Eyes and the Impossible: (Newbery Medal Winner)
early readers
my favorite new animal friendship- will be posting all of the books in this series, as i just bought Haven them and I am obsessed
Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories
my favorite new animal friendship- will be posting all of the books in this series, as i just bought Haven them and I am obsessed
Bear and Bird: The Secret and Other Stories
my favorite new animal friendship- will be posting all of the books in this series, as i just bought Haven them and I am obsessed
Bear and Bird: The Stars and Other Stories
my favorite new animal friendship- will be posting all of the books in this series, as i just bought Haven them and I am obsessed
Bear and Bird: The Cave and Other Stories
my favorite new animal friendship- will be posting all of the books in this series, as i just bought Haven them and I am obsessed
Bear and Bird: The Stick and Other Stories
my favorite new animal friendship- will be posting all of the books in this series, as i just bought Haven them and I am obsessed
Bear and Bird: The Adventure and Other Stories
There is simply no greater animal friendship than frog and toad. This duo never disappoints- a favorite still of all three of our kids. Stories that make us smile no matter how many times we have read them
Frog and Toad: A Box Set of all 4 Books [ages 4-8]
A sweet little collection of books about a mouse and her adventures, which always end with her painting a picture of her day
The Adventures of Sophie Mouse Collection (Boxed Set #1): A New Friend; The Emerald Berries; Forget-Me-Not Lake; Looking for Winston
A sweet little collection of books about a mouse and her adventures, which always end with her painting a picture of her day
The Adventures of Sophie Mouse Collection #2 (Boxed Set): The Maple Festival; Winter's No Time to Sleep!; The Clover Curse; A Surprise Visitor
A sweet little collection of books about a mouse and her adventures, which always end with her painting a picture of her day
The Adventures of Sophie Mouse Collection #3 (Boxed Set): The Great Big Paw Print; It's Raining, It's Pouring; The Mouse House; Journey to the Crystal Cave
one of the series that my daughter is currently reading outloud to me and really enjoying. Follows the adventures of a young sheepdog on a farm
The Good Dog Collection #1 (Boxed Set): Home Is Where the Heart Is; Raised in a Barn; Herd You Loud and Clear; Fireworks Night
one of the series that my daughter is currently reading outloud to me and really enjoying. Follows the adventures of a young sheepdog on a farm
The Good Dog Collection #2 (Boxed Set): The Swimming Hole; Life Is Good; Barnyard Buddies; Puppy Luck
Haven's current solo reading- she gets through about one a week reading on the bus. From the same author as the Good Dog series, but about a cute little rat pack
The Ratnip Collection #1 (Boxed Set): Lost and Found in the City; Pizza Dreams Do Come True; Right on Your Tail!; Scaredy-Rat
including the entire collection of Piggie and Elephant because they are the books of this generation! Every single one is so heart warming and funny and full of emotion!
Elephant & Piggie: The Complete Collection (Includes 2 Bookends)
picture books
Nothing quite like the worlds that Carson Ellis creates, especially this one with it's made up bug language
Du Iz Tak?
a laugh out loud gem of a book about a stuffed animal that a boy gets from his parents to help him fall asleep
Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous in their hilarity, the perfect match to the epic writing
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors
gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous- no notes
How to Read a Book
written by a true friend- a story of overwhelm and finding rest in nature
Hot Dog: (Winner of the 2023 Caldecott Medal)
a visually stunning exploration of what feelings might look like
Invisible Things
the cutest guide to befriending a ghost
How to Make Friends With a Ghost
a stunningly illustrated rhyming picture book. A perfect gift for a new parent
If I Had a Little Dream
you can't go wrong with any Oliver Jeffers, but we really love this collection of short stories based on the alphabet letters
Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters
Broken up into a few chapters, this book is very suspenseful, and full of loads of perfect character tension that Jon Klassen always includes in his books
The Rock from the Sky
a beautiful book about the many different forms ‘home’ takes
Home
A childhood classic
Strega Nona
A fun rhyming read aloud- just scary enough for little kids
The Gruffalo
Hilarious journey through getting gum out of a child's hair. An Adam Rex masterpiece
On Account of the Gum
Cute two book set- perfect for fans or humor, tacos, and dragons
Dragons Love Tacos: The Definitive Collection
sweet story about woodland animals who sneak into a library to borrow books and start a book club
Bunny's Book Club
A boy finds a moose and has to grapple with not being able to claim a wild animal as his own
This Moose Belongs to Me
graphic novels
Love this author illustrator duo- my son asks for each new book as they are released
The First Cat in Space 3-Book Box Set: A Graphic Novel Collection: The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom, The First Cat in Space and the Wrath of the Paperclip
the loveliest graphite work and storyline
Jane, the Fox and Me
the second in this series- very lovely
Louis Undercover
holiday books
the dynamic duo playing to the magic of Santa
How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?
The charming Richard Scarry
Richard Scarry's The Animals' Merry Christmas
A barn animal's perspective of the nativity story- perfectly sweet for young kids
Who is Coming to Our House?
this is the version of the nutcracker that I own- bought vintage also, entirely for the illustrations, which inspired the stage design for the ballet
The Nutcracker w/ Maurice Sendak Illustrations - First Edition Children's Christmas Coffee Table - Vintage Book
As with all the crayon books, this one is very interactive, with dreidels to construct, mini board games to play, and letters to open. a holiday hit!
The Crayons' Christmas
a new santa favorite!
Santa's First Christmas
a boy and his Boggan go to find out if the wish tree exists, and are helped by woodland creatures on the way
The Wish Tree
all the lovely soft things about christmas, illustrated beautifully with the fluffiest animals
The Christmas Quiet Book: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids
