My favorite (and most remembered books from my childhood) were the Jan Brett books, as as it would go, those are my favorite to read to our 3 year old now. My favorites are 'The Mitten" "Annie and the Wild Animals" "The Hat" and "Gingerbread Baby" She not only writes them but does the artwork too, and as someone who loves architecture, clothing, and all the little details of other places and culture, her artwork is just incredible. It feels special to read the actual books to my kids that I read as a kid, so glad my parents saved them all these years.
I just remembered a series I loved when I was little, the ‘All of a kind family’, a Jewish family with 5 kids living in New York I think. Some of the stories lived on with me as if they were my own memories. Just like Tuppence to cross the Mersey. ❤️
A children's book we use to love to read is Puddles by Johnathan London. It must be read appropriately, BIG puddles must be spoken with exaggeration and little puddles must be spoken softly. Most importantly, HOP HOP HOP must be spoken loudly and quickly as if you were jumping into the puddle at that moment 😉
Oh, I am looking forward to reading all the recommendations! I may need to split my recommendations into multiple comments. These are my children's recommendations... (I should also preface that we are Christians and homeschoolers. Also my children are 9 and 7 year old boys. These are the books THEY love most so far.) All Smithsonian Backyard series, my 7 year old just received The Complete Winnie the Pooh Collection by A.A. Milne, Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem, The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter, Jan Brett (I believe someone mentioned her books as well, beautiful books), Tales of Buttercup Grove Series, Gail Gibbons series, Little House series, William J. Bennett books, Where the River Begins by Thomas Locker (gorgeous book for boys), Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (for older children).
By far, Owl Moon is the children’s bedtime book that I’ve enjoyed reading at least a thousand times. My children now read it to theirs children 💕 .
I came upon a box of books once that were discarded from the school library for unacceptable content. My favourite was ‘Walter, the Witch, And the Striped Flying Saucer’. Beautiful story but one of the characters smoked a cigar, so got thrown out :( .
I forgot one of my all time children's favorites called The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. We reread that one every Christmas. It's a very old book.
I find it so fascinating that in my home growing up we always had bedtime story and my dad encouraged us to read by always having lots of books around for us to read and not just proper little Mennonite books either🤭 most birthday and Christmas gifts included books. Then in my husband's family they were almost never read to and most of the books they had around were of the Christian genre but so poorly written (one must know Rod and Staff books to know what I mean). The characters and morals are high but the imaginative and creative literature is lacking. The difference in mine and my husband's ways of thinking in the ways that are influenced by books is so huge. I don't mean that I am smarter than he is just that my vocabulary is definitely bigger and I know much more about history and the things one would read in books. I hope that makes sense because I'm not sure how to describe it.
Now I read religiously to my children. It helps that I love children's books and I love reading aloud but I also have a huge burden to increase our children's mental and verbal iq but reading to them a lot. I rarely say no when they ask me to read and they throw a huge fit if we can't read chapter books at night.
I do so love reading and so do all of my siblings and few of my husband's siblings do. It's all just fascinating. Long live books and I do wonder if children listening to audio books has the same effect as a parent or adult reading to them?
Also your comment about listening to audiobooks reminded me of Jim Weiss. We listened to his retelling of stories raptly as children and I purchased some of his CDs for my own children to listen too. Definitely still has the same effect I truly believe as he has a knack for really bringing stories to life.
A few of my favorite children’s book: Toot and Puddle - the one about the storm in woodcock pocket. Ox Cart Man I could read over and over and over. And one beloved book from my childhood with my mom - I Love You, Goodnight.
I gave you my list of children's books so on to the adults: Full tilt: Ireland to India with a bicycle by Dervla Murphy (all of her books are great), Margaret Lawrence's The Diviners and The Stone Angel, The Studhorse Man by Robert Kroetsch and Passionate Journey by Frans Masereel (a story told in woodcuts - a delight! Love this and cannot wait for all the recommendations.
For adults: north woods by Daniel Mason which is an historical fiction novel that tells the story of a single house and its inhabitants in western Massachusetts over four centuries. It explores themes of love, madness, and the connection between humans and the natural world. Right up your alley!
I couldn’t agree more! We just read “Ronja the robbers daughter” by Astrid Lindgren to our kids and our whole family delighted in it. Now we’re onto Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich and The Enchanted Woods series by Enid Blyton. Both are totally wonderful in different ways. For my daughters 6th birthday I finally found a copy of Gwinna by Barbara Helen Berger that is a must for little girls - the story, the illustrations - all of it a nearly lost treasure of how imagination, story, and love are some of the most powerful forces to protect a child.
Loved Ronja! Gwinna was a book I checked out at the library all the time when I was little. Had to order it off eBay for my daughter bc I couldn’t find it anywhere (not even our library). A month later, my mother in law showed up with it bc she found it at a thrift store. So now I have a copy for grandkids one day 🧡
I currently read (pretty much on repeat) all Beatrix Potter books to my 1 year old son. The artwork is so beautiful too! As for adult books I come back to again and again, the Earthsea series by Ursula LeGuin are high up there. The themes on death just resonate so much, the prose is exquisite, and I never tire of going into that world.
Funny little "coincidence" just happened! Someone in our Charles Eisenstein online forum JUST asked this same question (suggestions for children's books) immediately before I started reading your post!
Well there's Charles' children's book of course, called Touched by the Sun.
The first children's book I thought of posting on the other post was Frederick by Leo Lionni. It's about a group of field mice who are working collecting grains and things for winter, but one mouse, Frederick, who appears to not be doing any work is actually collecting colours and stories and beautiful things, which the other mice find out later are just as important as food and shelter. My kids and I love this book.
One that we have read together as a family recently is the Earthsea series by Ursula K LeGuin (also incidentally a suggestion from Charles). It is such a mirror of today, even though it was written many years ago (first one was written in 1968).
My favorite (and most remembered books from my childhood) were the Jan Brett books, as as it would go, those are my favorite to read to our 3 year old now. My favorites are 'The Mitten" "Annie and the Wild Animals" "The Hat" and "Gingerbread Baby" She not only writes them but does the artwork too, and as someone who loves architecture, clothing, and all the little details of other places and culture, her artwork is just incredible. It feels special to read the actual books to my kids that I read as a kid, so glad my parents saved them all these years.
I just remembered a series I loved when I was little, the ‘All of a kind family’, a Jewish family with 5 kids living in New York I think. Some of the stories lived on with me as if they were my own memories. Just like Tuppence to cross the Mersey. ❤️
Yes! My 8 year old son loves this series!!
This book is fantastic and one of my favorites that I’ve read with my daughter!
A children's book we use to love to read is Puddles by Johnathan London. It must be read appropriately, BIG puddles must be spoken with exaggeration and little puddles must be spoken softly. Most importantly, HOP HOP HOP must be spoken loudly and quickly as if you were jumping into the puddle at that moment 😉
Oh, I am looking forward to reading all the recommendations! I may need to split my recommendations into multiple comments. These are my children's recommendations... (I should also preface that we are Christians and homeschoolers. Also my children are 9 and 7 year old boys. These are the books THEY love most so far.) All Smithsonian Backyard series, my 7 year old just received The Complete Winnie the Pooh Collection by A.A. Milne, Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem, The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter, Jan Brett (I believe someone mentioned her books as well, beautiful books), Tales of Buttercup Grove Series, Gail Gibbons series, Little House series, William J. Bennett books, Where the River Begins by Thomas Locker (gorgeous book for boys), Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (for older children).
By far, Owl Moon is the children’s bedtime book that I’ve enjoyed reading at least a thousand times. My children now read it to theirs children 💕 .
I came upon a box of books once that were discarded from the school library for unacceptable content. My favourite was ‘Walter, the Witch, And the Striped Flying Saucer’. Beautiful story but one of the characters smoked a cigar, so got thrown out :( .
Tara, let’s do the same with children’s songs!
I forgot one of my all time children's favorites called The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. We reread that one every Christmas. It's a very old book.
I find it so fascinating that in my home growing up we always had bedtime story and my dad encouraged us to read by always having lots of books around for us to read and not just proper little Mennonite books either🤭 most birthday and Christmas gifts included books. Then in my husband's family they were almost never read to and most of the books they had around were of the Christian genre but so poorly written (one must know Rod and Staff books to know what I mean). The characters and morals are high but the imaginative and creative literature is lacking. The difference in mine and my husband's ways of thinking in the ways that are influenced by books is so huge. I don't mean that I am smarter than he is just that my vocabulary is definitely bigger and I know much more about history and the things one would read in books. I hope that makes sense because I'm not sure how to describe it.
Now I read religiously to my children. It helps that I love children's books and I love reading aloud but I also have a huge burden to increase our children's mental and verbal iq but reading to them a lot. I rarely say no when they ask me to read and they throw a huge fit if we can't read chapter books at night.
I do so love reading and so do all of my siblings and few of my husband's siblings do. It's all just fascinating. Long live books and I do wonder if children listening to audio books has the same effect as a parent or adult reading to them?
Also your comment about listening to audiobooks reminded me of Jim Weiss. We listened to his retelling of stories raptly as children and I purchased some of his CDs for my own children to listen too. Definitely still has the same effect I truly believe as he has a knack for really bringing stories to life.
I forgot about that book! Going to hunt that one down for this Christmas as that was one of my favorites as a child.
We love that book, too. The newest movie that came out last year is really well done and wonderful.
A few of my favorite children’s book: Toot and Puddle - the one about the storm in woodcock pocket. Ox Cart Man I could read over and over and over. And one beloved book from my childhood with my mom - I Love You, Goodnight.
Love Toot and Puddle!
And anything Barbara Cooney illustrated
Gilead for adults :)
I gave you my list of children's books so on to the adults: Full tilt: Ireland to India with a bicycle by Dervla Murphy (all of her books are great), Margaret Lawrence's The Diviners and The Stone Angel, The Studhorse Man by Robert Kroetsch and Passionate Journey by Frans Masereel (a story told in woodcuts - a delight! Love this and cannot wait for all the recommendations.
Braiding sweetgrass
I'm about 2/3 through this book. I especially like the beginning, where she talks about how they teach their youth, their "We are one" mantra.
For adults: north woods by Daniel Mason which is an historical fiction novel that tells the story of a single house and its inhabitants in western Massachusetts over four centuries. It explores themes of love, madness, and the connection between humans and the natural world. Right up your alley!
I couldn’t agree more! We just read “Ronja the robbers daughter” by Astrid Lindgren to our kids and our whole family delighted in it. Now we’re onto Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich and The Enchanted Woods series by Enid Blyton. Both are totally wonderful in different ways. For my daughters 6th birthday I finally found a copy of Gwinna by Barbara Helen Berger that is a must for little girls - the story, the illustrations - all of it a nearly lost treasure of how imagination, story, and love are some of the most powerful forces to protect a child.
Loved Ronja! Gwinna was a book I checked out at the library all the time when I was little. Had to order it off eBay for my daughter bc I couldn’t find it anywhere (not even our library). A month later, my mother in law showed up with it bc she found it at a thrift store. So now I have a copy for grandkids one day 🧡
I currently read (pretty much on repeat) all Beatrix Potter books to my 1 year old son. The artwork is so beautiful too! As for adult books I come back to again and again, the Earthsea series by Ursula LeGuin are high up there. The themes on death just resonate so much, the prose is exquisite, and I never tire of going into that world.
Funny little "coincidence" just happened! Someone in our Charles Eisenstein online forum JUST asked this same question (suggestions for children's books) immediately before I started reading your post!
Well there's Charles' children's book of course, called Touched by the Sun.
The first children's book I thought of posting on the other post was Frederick by Leo Lionni. It's about a group of field mice who are working collecting grains and things for winter, but one mouse, Frederick, who appears to not be doing any work is actually collecting colours and stories and beautiful things, which the other mice find out later are just as important as food and shelter. My kids and I love this book.
One that we have read together as a family recently is the Earthsea series by Ursula K LeGuin (also incidentally a suggestion from Charles). It is such a mirror of today, even though it was written many years ago (first one was written in 1968).
Children's books to read aloud:
I second Owl Moon - delightful
Are You My Mother - PD Eastman
Sadie and the Snowman
Big Sarah's Little Boots
The Wind in the Willows
Mama's Little Duckling
Make Way for Ducklings
Chapter books
The Trolley Car family
The Moffats
Farley Mowatts books
Where The Red Fern Grows
Adult Books
The Help
Finding Grace
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
The Book Thief and others by Mark Zusak
For fluff and stuffing reading like in postpartum I enjoy Jan Karons At Home jn Mitford series
Also Call The Midwife series
I love call the midwives! So good!
I have quite a list of favorites, but I narrowed it down best I could.
Adults:
Woodswoman by Anne LaBastille
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
The Hawk and the Dove (first three books) by Penelope Wilcock
We Took to the Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich
Great Possessions: An Amish Farmer’s Journal by David Kline
Kids:
The Moffats by Eleanor Estes
The Squirrels Birthday and Other Parties by Toon Tellegen ( there are four in this series)
I Spy books (hours of fun looking and searching!)
Mischievous Meg by Astrid Linden