Ask Hello. Favorite Books to Add to Your Shelf
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NAEYC’s HELLO online forum is a great place to have conversations and create connections with peers around important early learning issues.
In an ongoing Hello discussion, members share their favorite children’s books. Log in today to share your favorite!
Excerpts from Hello have been edited for style and length.
Favorite Books to Add to Your Shelf
For many early childhood educators, reading children’s books is a cherished hobby. The best books fill us with joy and renew our commitment to early education. To enrich your summer break—and help you find some books to add to your classroom—we’ve pulled recommendations from the Hello discussion strand in which members introduce themselves and share their favorite children’s book. —Editors
I have several favorite children's books, but my absolute favorites are the books in the Daisy series— especially Come Along, Daisy—by Jane Simmons. The main character, Daisy, is just like my 2 1/2-year-olds. Her adventures of being separated from her mama, being overwhelmed in a big group of ducks, and looking for the “monster” on the farm are similar to the problems and play themes my littles experience. —Catherine, Wisconsin
My favorite children's book is Amazing Grace, by Mary Hoffman. It's a book I have read often to children due to the relevance of teaching morals, values, and ethics. —Ronald, Virginia
It's so hard to pick a favorite book. Two on the top of my list are Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, by Doreen Cornin, because it introduces the concepts of working together and power in numbers, and Cleversticks, by Bernard Ashley, because it focuses on what children can do.—Marilyn, California
My favorite children’s book is It's Okay to Be Different, by Todd Parr. As a teacher of students with multiple disabilities, I read it to the general education classes in my school at the beginning of the school year and during Autism Awareness Month to build a school community of acceptance and caring. —James, New Jersey
Book covers, clockwise from top-left: It's Okay to Be Different, by Todd Parr, Love You Forever, by Robert
Munsch, "I Have a Little Problem," Said the Bear, by Heinz Janisch, The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn.
My favorite book for preschool is The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn. It was a wonderful story to help any children having separation anxiety as they started school. I had a little Chester puppet to help put the children at ease. I loved the illustrations, too. For older children, my personal favorite is The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster. I still read it over and over now! —Dorothy, Colorado
I have many favorite books, but if I have to pick just one, it would be Barbara Reid's Perfect Snow. While the book's more obvious reference is to the magic of snow (very relevant to children living in Northern British Columbia), the underlying message is one of cooperation and teamwork. A side benefit of the beautiful narrations is that it can serve as an invitation to be creative with materials in telling a story. —Cindy, British Columbia
I have and love a million children's books. Perhaps my favorite is Abiyoyo, by Pete Seeger. I love to read and sing that one to children because to me it represents a powerful child who is also a person of color. And it's a great, participatory story with a compelling narrative and beautiful artwork. —Kresha, Indiana
My favorite children's book (at least for now) is Little Humans, by Brandon Stanton. I love it because it showcases diversity and it features children's attributes, accomplishments, and pastimes in a very positive way. “Little humans can do BIG things, if they stand up tall and hold on tight.” —Louisa, Colorado
My favorite children's book is Rosie Revere, Engineer, by Andrea Beaty, because I love Rosie’s grit and persistence! —Melissa, New Jersey
My favorite book is “I Have a Little Problem,” Said the Bear, by Heinz Janisch. I like this book because we all have problems and we need to start empowering children by teaching them the skills to address those problems! —Robin, Colorado
It's so hard to pick a favorite children's book but I will give a special shout-out to Kay Thompson's Eloise. I always felt like the character of Eloise speaks to the mischievous child that's hidden in all of us, and the story's lavish setting provides the perfect backdrop for showcasing her high-spirited personality. —Lila, California
My favorite children's book is Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch. It is such a wonderful example of how children grow and relationships change, but love carries through. —Amy, Texas
My favorite book to read aloud to young children is Wili Wai Kula and the Three Mongooses, by Donivee M. Laird. It's a takeoff on the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and the children love it. I love that there's a lot of Hawaiian Creole in the book, which makes it much more fun for the students! —Catherine, Hawaii
Do you have questions or suggestions to share with your peers?
Are you simply interested in reading different takes from early childhood educators around the country? Tap into the vibrant discussions on Hello at hello.NAEYC.org/welcomehello.