Too Many Toys by David Shannon

This picture book is another great one by David Shannon (author of the No, David books). I think most parents have felt this way about their homes, and David Shannon captures the responses/whining/negotiating that goes on from kids who don't want to part with even the smallest toy from Wendy's that they've never played with. David Shannon does have the Diaper David board books that are aimed at younger toddlers. This one is probably aimed more at age 4 and up.

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

This is one of my favorite children's books, and my kids love it also. It's a great twist on a "save the princess" type of story, with Robert Munsch's typical sense of humor. It's fairly short, so toddlers will enjoy it, and it has a princess a prince and a dragon. What's not to love about that?

Pickle-Chiffon Pie by Jolly Roger Bradfield

My daughter found this book on the shelf of our library and casually said, "This looks kind of fun." Little did she know that this was one of my favorite books as a child. I haven't even seen it since my childhood.

Reading it out loud for my kids for the first time since I was a child was an amazing feeling. (In fact, one of my favorite things to do is read a favorite story to someone for their first time and watch their eyes light up with the same love that I have for the book.) I hadn't really remembered what the book was about; mostly just the pie. But as I read it memories came flooding back.

It's a story of a king who wants his daughter to marry. He chooses three favorite knights to go in the forest to bring back "the most wonderful thing". The winner will get to marry the princess.

I think I love everything about this book. I love the illustrations. I love the story. It's probably not a toddler book since there are long paragraphs on some pages, and some of the pages might tempt small ones to finish coloring them. But all of my children stopped what they were doing to listen and look. Enjoy.

Do you have a favorite children book that you haven't seen in a long time?

The Doll People by Ann Martin and Laura Godwin

This is a cute book about a doll, Annabelle, who is from a Victorian Doll House set. She has lived in the same house since she was made 100 years ago and shipped from England to the States. She now belongs to Kate who is the great-granddaughter of the original owner. Annabelle is lonely and wishes for a friend. She also has begun to wonder about what happened to her Auntie Sarah. The adventures begin when Kate's little sister gets her own Funcraft dollhouse for her birthday.

This was a fun, easy read and I love the idea of toys coming to life. Along with adventure, good values are taught. There are a couple of follow-up stories after this first one, including "The Meanest Doll in the World". It probably will appeal more to girls, though my second grade son loved it as well. I think this is a good book for those who like tame adventure type books.

Reading Level: Grade 3 & up

Gender: girls

Roscoe Riley Rules by K.A. Applegate

This book reminded me a lot of Junie B. Jones. Only it's a boy and he has better grammar. Roscoe narrates the story from his time-out corner and it is written the way he thinks. There are several of these books that go through different rules that Roscoe's had to learn. My kindergartner checked these out and read them. And my 4th grader loved them and even quotes them now. Easy to read chapters and fun.

Reading Level: grade 1 & up

Gender: boys & girls

Read-out-loud

Snot Stew by Bill Wallace

Snot Stew is a book told from the view of a kitten. Kikki and her brother Toby are not ready to leave their mother but end up being adopted by a family. It's frightening for them at first living in a human's "barn", but they learn to adjust and play the games they are taught. I love the way this book is written from the kitten's view. And the title of the book is really funny once you read the book. This book has short chapters and is a great read-out-loud.

Reading Level: grade 2 & up

Gender: boys & girls

Read-out-loud