Readable Children's Books — by Guest Mom Allysha

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.”

So go the famous opening lines of “Winnie-The-Pooh” by A. A. Milne. I love the crew of the 100 acre wood, with an especial fondness for, I must confess, Eeyore, who is indeed woefully funny.

In college I took a class about writing children's books. It wasn't until I had children of my own, however, that I learned The Truth: many children's books are Quite Boring and Really Awful to read aloud. If you are a mother or father you know this. You know that the best kind of book is one the equally appeals to both parent and child. Which is why I like the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. My children like them. I like them. I have been known to keep the whole stack by my bed and chuckle to myself as I read through the lot. The two volumes of poetry, Now We Are Six and When We Were Very Young, if you aren't familiar with them, are as equally charming as the story books Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.

Some other books I enjoy reading to my children are:

Frog and Toad...(fill in the rest of the title here, because any Frog and Toad story will do). I like Arnold Lobels' amphibians for the same reason I like Winnie the Pooh. The stories are funny and accessible to everyone involved. In fact I think these are better stories for the younger set, and yet are equally suited to keep adults completely entertained.



The Rainbow Book of Nursery Rhymes by Sam Childs. I think this book is officially out of print, but you can still find it online. It's really beautiful. And utterly readable, as nursery rhymes are.



Drummer Hoff by Ed and Barbara Emberly. With gorgeous color woodblock print illustrations, this is a fun read. It can get kind of tongue-twistery, so don't hurry through too fast!

Ballerina! by Peter Sis. Simple illustrations. Simple story. But if you have little aspiring dancers at your house, they will really love this book. I always replace the little girl's name with the name of one of my daughters, and that is always a big hit.