A Short List of Favorite Children's Books

from Ben's mom

To my chagrin Ben is currently showing no interest in books. He absolutely refuses to let me read to him, but will occasionally flip through his books himself. This is rather heartbreaking but I'm assured it is probably only a "phase." And my 2-year old child development book tells that the problem may be that I keep trying to read him long story books when he wants short, familiar stories with a sentence, (if that), per page. (Those books are incredibly boring and often non-sensical to his mother.)

I have found a few gems along the way that I'm looking forward to reading again when Ben will indulge me.

Alexander by Harold Littledale
Alexander is a red-and-green striped horse whose horrible actions of the day are recounted by Christopher to his father at the end of the day. Christopher urges harsh punishment of Alexander and his father wisely responds to the tales of the imaginery horse whose day reflects that of Christopher himself.

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
This 1941 classic is set in Boston and recounts the tale of a family of ducklings trying to survive in an urban environment. I recently heard that there is a sculpture tribute to the book in Boston's Public Gardens.

Is Milton Missing? by Steven Kroll
Milton is a Great Dane belonging to a little boy named Richard who lives in the big city in an urban apartment. One day Milton isn't there to greet him when he returns from school and Richard sets out on a mission to find him.

The Frog and Toad Treasury by Arnold Loebel
Frog and Toad are classics that I was introduced to by a friend in England. The energetic sanguine Frog and the lethargic melancholy Toad are good friends whose adventures include searching for lost buttons, and fighting the tempation to eat all the cookies at once.

The Little Puppy, The Little Lamb, The Little Duck, etc....
A smart series about the friendships between children and their pets and the responsibility and care that goes into being a pet owner, these books have great photos of animals.

And then....

Dog for a Day by Dick Gackenbach
An inventive boy comes up with a changing machine and turns his dog into himself and vice versa for a day. He discovers what it is like to live the life of the dog and decides he would much rather be a boy. Ben does like this book and I am not fully sure why. He will sit and look at it and crack up. (I am loath to call it a classic.)