This week was similar to last week because a majority of what I read is children’s picture books. In total, I probably read around 20-25 books but I am only going to talk about my top five picks of the week. As a guide for picking my books for this week, I looked up a list of the top 100 best children’s books of all time. I went through and found some that sounded the most interesting. With that said, let’s begin.
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
This book is super famous but surprisingly enough, this is the first time I’ve read it. Overall, I thought the story was cute and had great illustrations. The amount of imagination in this story is something that I think is essential for children. Being able to imagine like Max is something that never gets old.
2. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
This book has such a sweet story in it. This story talks about a bond between a boy and a tree and their time together. The boy eventually begins to grow up and leave the tree. This makes the tree sad and eventually the tree gives so much to the boy in order to make him happy, that the tree is no longer there. Eventually the boy comes back when the tree is nothing but a stump. The boy sits on the stump and the two are eventually together in the end. Being 19, this story still makes me upset! However, the emotional aspect of it makes it appealing to any ages.
3. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
Like Where the Wild Things Are, I have never read Oh, the Places You’ll Go until now. Reading this made me feel awesome. It was very motivating and give the reader a sense of life. You will go through many things in your life but they are based on the decisions you make. The waiting place is a place that no one wants to be but some get stuck. They just wait for something to happen. Dr. Seuss is saying in order to get something, you have to go and do something. You cannot just wait for something to happen. This book now has a special place in my heart.
4. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
This book I remember reading way back in elementary school. Of course, this is for good reason. The Very Hungry Caterpillar follows a caterpillar who eats different things throughout the week. The caterpillar grew so much that it was time for him to build a cocoon and become a beautiful butterfly! This story is great for younger kids because the illustrations used make the story super appealing.
5. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
This is a very sweet story that discusses the chain of events if you gave a mouse a cookie. Let alone being adorable, the story is an easy read and the animations make it appealing to a lot of young ages. They are realistic but also fun and different. Something cool about this book is it is in a series. There are multiple books about “If you give a…” They include If Give A Dog A Donut, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake and many more. These books could also be interactive by having students guess what the next chain of the event will be.
Overall, these books were fun and some of my top favorites of all time picture books. I am glad I read some that I’ve never read before because I really loved them!
Until next time,
-Rachel
Rachel's Mind 