Right now we’re reading The Underneath by Kathi Appelt for our chapter book at bedtime.
It was my 7yo’s turn to pick and, as I usually do (because we have too many books in our house for me to just set my children loose and expect them to come up with something they want to read in less than three days), I curated a short stack for her to decide from — The Underneath, plus The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith, Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins, and Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant.
(The predetermined stack means I only offer books I actually want to read, which my small listeners haven’t figured out yet… obviously I’m going to keep this going as long as I can.)
The Underneath is darker than I expected — only a few chapters in, we’re learning about Gar-Face, the (mean, dangerous, possibly evil?) character who got his name because his father hit him so many times his jaw broke and it permanently messed up his face 😳, to give you an idea of what I mean. But Appelt’s writing is superb — poetic and flowing — and I get the sense that the darkness is a foil for friendship and love, if not outright redemption, and most importantly, my kids are into it, so we’re proceeding.
What books are you and your family reading right now that you’re enjoying? Anything you’d recommend to others?
(Board books, picture books, graphic novels, middle-grade titles, nonfiction, audiobooks, seek-and-finds — we’ve got all ages and no judgment here.)
I’ll be in the comments, adding to my always-staggering library holds list, which really can’t take anymore right now (so I am placing the hold and then immediately suspending it until mid-December, pretending all the while that I don’t have a problem…)
I’m reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin to my 3, 5 and 8 year old kids. They are loving it! We are big fans of the Circle Round podcast and this book has lots of fables inside of it, just like the podcast. Highly recommend!
My 8 year old and I also just had a “book club” - we both read the graphic novel El Deafo by Cece Bell and enjoyed discussing it together afterwards.
I’ll add The Underneath to our “to read” list - thanks for doing what you do!
What would be a good age to read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon? Im struggling a bit with whats appropriate for my 5yo (for me to read to him) - weve only done magic treehouse and magic schoolbus
I usually recommend it for 7-8yo, but it really depends on the child. I know people who have successfully read it to 5-6yos, and others whose kids weren't interested until they were 10+. You can always try and if it doesn't work (i.e, he's not into it or can't follow the story), abandon it for later. There's no rule against that -- we do it all the time in my house.
Also here to say my son and I *loved* Where the Mountain Meets the Moon--and the entire trilogy. Sarah, I think I got the recommendation from you originally 😊
My 3.5 yo has shown an interest in The Lorax, Mozart and Mona Lisa so we have a few library books checked out on those subjects. 😍 “Katie and the Mona Lisa” is a lovely little read!
Love this. (I especially love it when a recommendation from a librarian -- or anyone else -- ends up being awesome. It's such a treat to find a good book.)
I so hear you on those library holds, mine that are checked out keep automatically renewing and the shame is growing . . . my kids are grown but one of our all time favorites is Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, SUCH a great read for all ages, just scary and suspenseful enough without being too much, prequel to Peter Pan. Also, The Underneath is one of my personal favorites, the writing is brilliant.
This Christmas I am going to give each of my older kids a cookbook instead of fiction. We have a Harry Potter and Great British Bake Off which they love to choose foods to try. I found a Star Wars, a Disney, and a Super Mario cookbook.
When they were little we loved a good picture book that also included a recipe. Off hand I can only think of Stone Soup but I know there a lots more out there.
Bee-Bim bop! By Linda Sue Park, Everybody Loves Lunchtime but Zia by Jenny Liao, and Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kay Zhang are all awesome books that include recipes - and for us they are recipes that challenge me to branch out in my cooking! FTW. Love recipes included books - hope more people come back w other suggestions!
After reading this comment, I accidentally read a Japanese detective novel (for adults) about a retired criminal detective who runs a detective agency for missing recipes. People are looking for a dish they once tasted and have never found again. The descriptions are so good when the detective makes it that I feel I could try this, and that I’m learning new techniques.
The Underneath is a gorgeous book. My girls and I loved it when we read it years ago. Right now my oldest grandson (almost three) is really into Shel Silverstein, specifically Peanut Butter Sandwich. He also requests Hello Door and Hello Tree by Alastair Heim a lot when he’s at my house.
My 9-year old and I just finished reading the first Skulduggery Pleasant, in honor of Halloween. (not Halloween-centric at all, but a main character is a skeleton, so I thought it counted.) He loved it! We actually laughed out loud together at parts - and there were parts I found legitimately scary for me, too!
I'm in a rut with my 6-year old. I think I am going to start The Wild Robot with him; it feels like it's time!
I have heard great things about the Skulduggery Pleasant series. I did see the first one the last time I was at a used bookstore and offered it to my 9yo, but she wasn't interested (which doesn't mean I won't check it out for myself 😊)
My almost 6 yo just got the first Henry Heckelbeck book for a gift. He loves it. We tried the Magic Treehouse but it doesn’t have enough pictures, or at least not enough combined with the story (?). HH has more and also enough suspense to make it exiting multiple nights in a row. We still read lots of picture books but I’m trying to move him to chapter books, too.
It's a slow transition (and not one you need to rush! Picture books are important as all get out!) Next week Tuesday I'm publishing a post on first chapter books... hopefully you can find some titles there that might interest him, too.
My daughter and I *loved* The Underneath - one of the most creative and beautifully written middle grade (or YA?) novels out there. We actually 'rescue' it every time we see a copy at the thrift store and give it to someone we think might enjoy it. WOW her writing!
We are currently reading - finishing today, actually - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Unfortunately I did not look closely at the copy (illustrated, hardcover) because it omits Part II! When I got to a certain point in the story, I stopped reading and said "wait! This is NOT what happens". I consulted my cheap copy and did a major facepalm.
Ah well...daughter asked for the cheap copy to be in her room last night so she could start on Part II! Son doesn't overly care, though I imagine he'd be horrified about Laurie's turn with the burdens....which only happens in Part II. Harumph. So much for the fancy cover.
Oh, it's actually quite a funny story, and really, more of a kid's story than 'adult', since it's about four sisters (and their neighbor, Laurie, of course!). If you do the voices, even your 16 year old boy will laugh (wink)
My 2 yr old is obsessed w the Piggie and Gerald collection by Mo Willems, which is fun because my 4 yr old can basically read along those or be one character while I am the other. Sooooo funny and cute. My 4 yr old is all things Star Wars and I’ve yet to find one of those books I want to read, but he drifts to any book I am reading like a bee to pollen so he enjoys any of it! Last night for bedtime he picked two Leo Lionni books off the shelf (It’s Mine & The Extraordinary Egg) and we laughed at the silly frogs and their island adventures.
I used to read It's Mine to my kids when they were struggling hard to share. (Come to think of it, maybe I need to break it out again, because we're back in that pattern more often than I'd like...)
Creepy Crayon is the current favorite of two of the small girls in my life. This past weekend, the 8-year-old read it to the 6-year-old. It's fun to live in picture books from time to time, and see how little minds slowly discover new elements during each reading.
We’re reading Kate DiCamillo’s newest book, The Puppets of Spelhorst. Both my 8yo and 4yo are interested in it--it’s a new fairy tale and the pictures are fantastic. The chapters are short enough to keep my 4yo interested.
My boy just turned 1 year old and his favorite book has been '8 Little Planets' so we also took the sequel 'I Heart Pluto'. He loves putting his hands in the holes and turning the pages. Another favorite is the 'Peek-A Who?'. Again there are holes in the pages and he loves it when I make funny sounds when he turns the pages. My kids library is slowly growing but at his age he can't appreciate many of the books yet ^^
This week we’ve loved two new finds via Moonbow: The Dead Bird and How to Draw with Scissors. I insist upon a gorgeously illustrated children’s book! These two are stunners.
Ghost Book by Remy Lai with my 6 yo. My kids have been loving the book version of Bluey-Sleepytime (one of my favorite episodes, the illustrations are beautiful). The Together Tree by Aisha Saeed. I am reading My Murder by Katie Williams.
My 8-year-old and I have devoured the Nevermore series. I will say, it gets a little dark (especially in the third book, so definitely more for kids 8+), but I love it just as much as he does. The fourth book in the series comes out next year, and we can't wait.
My 5-year-old and I have been reading "Give Me Back My Bones" in honor of Halloween and it's pretty great, too!
I just saw this comment on Nevermoor after I posted mine! We just finished the third book last week, and my son and I are agonizing over waiting another year. This is the best fantasy series I've read aloud since Harry Potter.
Sheddad Kaid-Salah Ferrón: My First Book if Electromagnetism (The first book of his, on quantum mechanics, was the best ever on the topic)
Bethan Woollvin: Rapunzel (This Rapunzel has ideas!)
Sophie Blackall: Farmhouse (The author based this story on the crumbling old farmhouse she bought and made collage pictures of the house using salvaged bits from the house)
Ann Clare LeZotte: Set Me Free, sequel to Show Me a Sign (Deaf author, about a Deaf girl on Martha’s Vineyard, the island having so many Deaf that the entire population spoke sign language. Historical fiction but I think based on a true story?)
My daughter is 21 months and her favorites right now are Off to See the Sea by Nikki Grimes and Elizabeth Zunon, Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown, Sheila Rae the Brave (my copy from when I was a kid!) by Kevin Henkes, and Bear Counts by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. I Spy books are always a hit too. Love seeing what everyone else’s kids are into right now!
I'm alternately reading Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey (very readable version, but the names and place names are killer to pronounce) and a compelling memoir by Mark Woods, Lassoing The Sun: A Year In America's National Parks, to my 15 yr. old. He's the one I read to every night. I also have a book for each 12 yr. old twin, but read to them sporadically - my wife is their regular reader. I'm reading The Summer Of The Monkeys by Wilson Rawls to one, and John Grisham's Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer to the other. And I'm always reading way too many books at once, but my main book is One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, and poetry, lots of poetry. I'm particularly enamored with the work of Jane Hirshfield these days..
I always adore hearing what you're reading to your kids, Tim. And OMG Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey 😍
I LOVED The Summer Of The Monkeys as a kid! My grandfather introduced me to Farley Mowat, and I think I went looking for read-alikes and found Monkeys, which I liked better than Where the Red Fern Grows.
I know I've said this to you before but you and your wife are giving your boys such an incredible gift. It's really lovely.
I’m trying to think which of the books we’re reading aren’t recommendations from Can We Read? 😂 Some current favorites (that have maybe been recently recommended by Sarah?) are “Mystery on the Docks,” “Heckedy Peg”, and “The Seven Chinese Sisters”. My kids are also very into the Noodleheads series and anything by Raul the third so we have been having fun with those.
Lol perfect! Well you have great recs! And definitely check out Raul the Third! His Vamos books are so much fun. The colors are incredible and there is so much happening on each page. And the noodleheads books are really cool too- they are riffs on folktales about “fools” and have citations in the back that share the history of the different themes and where in the world they came from.
It’s always interesting to me to see which books my kids want to read on repeat. This week it’s: There Was Old Mummy Who Swallowed a Spider by Jennifer Ward, and Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach.
We've just pulled out the Chris Riddell illustrated version of the Little Prince, after a visit to Busan in South Korea where we saw references to the Little Prince everywhere and the kids wanted to know who he was. I love all of Chris Riddell's work, and even if the Little Prince is a bit sad at the end, the kids loved it.
My 2 and 4 year old are still deeply obsessed with the Little Red Train books by Benedict Blathwayt (such detailed illustrations) and the Percy the Park keeper books, so those are the main culprits plus some Julia Donaldson and whatever random library books I pick out for a bit of variety. My 4 year old is very into music at the moment so we've been looking at quite a few story of the orchestra type books too.
My 7 year old is obsessed with the Dory Fantasmagory books, and so am I! They are truly, laugh out loud funny, kinda weird, and written by a former elementary teacher who really understands the first grade psyche. Number 6 just came out and we wish there were more!
We are huge Dory fans in our house, too. And you're not alone! Next Tuesday I'm sending a post answering a question from a subscriber requesting Dory read-alikes, so keep an eye out for that if you're looking for similar recommendations.
I read separately to my kids because they are interested in different things AND they definitely crave the one on one time...some nights it is exhausting but MOST nights I appreciate the little pockets of time with each one. I started this when I began Harry Potter and my younger child got too scared by the third book to continue reading with us! Anyway, right now we are reading Dogtown by Katherine Applegate and The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall.
My son and I just finished the first three books in the Nevermoor series and the next book isn't coming out until fall 2024!!! We LOVE this series and so disappointed that the publication date has been pushed out several times...
Your energy for reading separately amazes me. My kids go to bed at the same time, and in the same room, so I don't know if we'll *ever* read separately. (They refuse to do anything separately anyway, so even if I wanted to do this, I doubt they would.)
It is hard to muster up the energy some days, but it helps when I am just as into the books as they are!! Don't ever read separately if you can help it!! I just am trying to hold on to reading aloud with Connor, as you know--so if he wants alone time, he can have it! 😂
My son loves Playtown by Roger Priddy with all the flaps and a sense of humour and I honestly want to hide it so we don't have to read it every night. He recently loved The Bad Mood and The Stick, Grace Lin board books, and Madeleine.
And I know the temptation to hide a book is overpowering at times, but: there are real, actual developmental reasons little ones want to read books over and over and over and OVER. So if you can muster the patience and energy, it's an important thing you're doing -- and I absolutely promise it won't last forever!
I read separately to my girls at night, although my eldest often listens when I read to my youngest (who goes to bed 90 minutes earlier). We had our Halloween books out for October, but I put them away today so we are back to the Brownstone Mythical Collection and another Joe Todd Stanton book called "A Mouse Called Julian". I need to track down more of his books, but my library doesn't have them. Both of my kids ask for the Brownstone Mythical Collection books on repeat.
Blythe and I are currently reading The Penderwicks on Gardam Street and with her dad she is reading The National Parks Mystery series book 2 (highly recommend - she loved the first book and it inspired a trip over fall break to Rocky Mountain National Park).
The best middle grade book I've read this year is The Labors of Hercules Beal. It's incredible and I can't wait to read it with Blythe.
How could I forget that Blythe and I are also reading Joyful Noise together? She loves trading off reading lines and likes it so much that we bought a copy for her teacher as they are currently completing a poetry unit. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love this (of course I do). And honestly, every time I think, do people even WANT more poetry recommendations? I just think of you and your girls and carry on 😊
The Brownstone Mythical Collection includes Kai and the Monkey King. We adore the entire series. Hercules Beal... run don't walk for that one, but perhaps read it yourself first.
Hello, my three year old has been enjoying her recent library pick of The Three Bears (an alternate telling of Goldilocks) and a Halloween book called Ghost Afraid of the Dark. I’m inspired by some of your posts (and a recent conversation with our neighbor who is reading Harry Potter to their 3 and 5 year olds) to start a chapter book for bedtime instead of the pile of picture and board books she picks from. Any tips to help this transition? Just start and see how it goes? I have AA Milne’s set of Winnie the Pooh books (my favorite as a kid) that are more sparsely illustrated that she’s used to, but I’ve been dying to start reading them with her.
To be totally honest, I wouldn’t read chapter books to a 3yo. Kids that age really, truly *need* board and picture books. But if you really can’t wait, start with something with a lot of pictures — My Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo is wonderful. (I also have a post coming out on Tuesday about first chapter books, including a bunch of recommendations, so you can mine that for some ideas as well.)
Neither of my kiddos were able to follow (or care about) Winnie the Pooh until just last year — at 6 and 8yo — but I’d say the general age range is 5-8yo. That said, every child is different. Your neighbor’s kids might be following Harry Potter just fine — I personally think 3 and 5 is way too young for that series, but I don’t know those children like I know mine, or you know yours, and everyone is the best judge of their own family’s abilities and needs.
That is super helpful. We can wait. I think I got excited about the idea of something more interesting than rereading a board book for the thousandth time.
It's easy to get excited -- you're definitely not alone -- but I always advise people to try to be patient, for your kid's sake. The board book phase *does* pass, and you'll be into chapter books before you know it (and some days, may even long for the time you could read a book that was over in two minutes!)
I’m late to this as I just started subscribing but I did some random library books based on Halloween/Fall search terms and we found some great books. Some a bit beyond my 3 year old but I’ve tagged them to return to next year.
Witch Hazel by Molly Idle is a wonderful entry to the concept of memories and loved ones passing - too subtle for my 3 year old but he loved reading it
Every Night at Midnight by Peter Cheong was just ok but my little loves wolves right now and is learning what friends are, so it worked well.
When You Breathe by Diana afraid was lovely but went over my little’s heads - I’m always looking for books that talk about breathwork (also tried Six Healing Sounds, based on Qi Gong, by Lisa and Spillane which was well-received and hit better although there was some toxic positivity hints that left a bad taste for me)
The Dark was Done by Lauren Stringer part of a few books grabbed as my 3 year old is grappling with newfound fear around darkness) was a lovely concept (darkness retreats as it feels unappreciated) but I wish the author had workshopped the darkness seekers and their reasons a bit more - including a thief was an odd choice.
Mushroom Lullaby by Kenneth Kraegel is a sweet nighttime book as my little is getting into foraging.
In the Night Garden by Carin Berger hit Halloween/scary/darkness fix perfectly. Light text, collage-style illustrations
Beatrice likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke was a nice concept but a bit heavy handed on what is dark/light ie I thought it went too into morality/goodness and I did not like the inclusion of mysterious boys in both the girls’ dreams - maybe an overthought - although I liked that she makes the point that the 2 characters don’t have to love dark and light but rather find some good in what they once didn’t like
Love these round-up discussion-y posts - I always find so many gems!
My 3yo wants Room on the Broom and Zog and the Flying Doctors on repeat (and I'm not mad about it, love those).
My 7yo is deeply in love with the Dragon Masters series - and I'm a little over it, to be honest. We loved The Magic Treehouse together but we've read them all and I feel like DM are a poor substitute (from a grown up reader's perspective - my 7yo is a happy guy. I also just read Fourth Wing which was basically Dragon Masters for adults, lol.). He picked up one at the Book Fair called City Spies (James Ponti) that I'm liking but is a little too advanced for him and I tried to start Henry and the Chalk Dragon (Jennifer Trafton) but so far it's not plot-y enough for him. Definitely seeking early readers (picture every 3rd page would be about perfect) that I can also enjoy, gotta just keep trying!
It's a good one!
I am also excited to add to our library list! We just read the Unfortunate Life of Worms by Noemi Vola. My boys 8, 6, 4 loved it.
Um, ordering The Unfortunate Life of Worms RIGHT NOW.
I’m reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin to my 3, 5 and 8 year old kids. They are loving it! We are big fans of the Circle Round podcast and this book has lots of fables inside of it, just like the podcast. Highly recommend!
My 8 year old and I also just had a “book club” - we both read the graphic novel El Deafo by Cece Bell and enjoyed discussing it together afterwards.
I’ll add The Underneath to our “to read” list - thanks for doing what you do!
I published an awesome guest post in April 2022 about starting a book club with your kids/family, if you want to see how someone else did it: https://canweread.substack.com/p/this-summer-start-a-family-book-club
Love, love, love Where the Mountain Meets the Moon -- I reviewed it once upon a time here.
I also love El Deafo!
What would be a good age to read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon? Im struggling a bit with whats appropriate for my 5yo (for me to read to him) - weve only done magic treehouse and magic schoolbus
I usually recommend it for 7-8yo, but it really depends on the child. I know people who have successfully read it to 5-6yos, and others whose kids weren't interested until they were 10+. You can always try and if it doesn't work (i.e, he's not into it or can't follow the story), abandon it for later. There's no rule against that -- we do it all the time in my house.
Thanks! I just saw your note about your future post on chapter books. So excited!
Coming to your inbox on Tuesday!
Also here to say my son and I *loved* Where the Mountain Meets the Moon--and the entire trilogy. Sarah, I think I got the recommendation from you originally 😊
Yay! I love hearing that any of my recommendations have worked out 🩷
My 3.5 yo has shown an interest in The Lorax, Mozart and Mona Lisa so we have a few library books checked out on those subjects. 😍 “Katie and the Mona Lisa” is a lovely little read!
there are lots in that series, and they're all wonderful!
The Katie series is so good!
My kids (3 and 5.5) are loving Acorn Was a Little Wild on repeat, a recommendation from our librarian.
Love this. (I especially love it when a recommendation from a librarian -- or anyone else -- ends up being awesome. It's such a treat to find a good book.)
Oh, we've been loving Acorn Was a Little Wild this fall, too!
I so hear you on those library holds, mine that are checked out keep automatically renewing and the shame is growing . . . my kids are grown but one of our all time favorites is Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, SUCH a great read for all ages, just scary and suspenseful enough without being too much, prequel to Peter Pan. Also, The Underneath is one of my personal favorites, the writing is brilliant.
Loved Peter and the Starcatchers! We listened to one of them on a really long road trip and even Dad loved it. Made for much easier traveling.
I own Peter and the Starcatchers but we're not quite there yet... I've always heard good things!
This Christmas I am going to give each of my older kids a cookbook instead of fiction. We have a Harry Potter and Great British Bake Off which they love to choose foods to try. I found a Star Wars, a Disney, and a Super Mario cookbook.
When they were little we loved a good picture book that also included a recipe. Off hand I can only think of Stone Soup but I know there a lots more out there.
Bee-Bim bop! By Linda Sue Park, Everybody Loves Lunchtime but Zia by Jenny Liao, and Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kay Zhang are all awesome books that include recipes - and for us they are recipes that challenge me to branch out in my cooking! FTW. Love recipes included books - hope more people come back w other suggestions!
I love this idea, Caitlin!
After reading this comment, I accidentally read a Japanese detective novel (for adults) about a retired criminal detective who runs a detective agency for missing recipes. People are looking for a dish they once tasted and have never found again. The descriptions are so good when the detective makes it that I feel I could try this, and that I’m learning new techniques.
Hisashi Kashiwai, The Kamogawa Food Detectives.
"Accidentally read" 😂
😀
The Underneath is a gorgeous book. My girls and I loved it when we read it years ago. Right now my oldest grandson (almost three) is really into Shel Silverstein, specifically Peanut Butter Sandwich. He also requests Hello Door and Hello Tree by Alastair Heim a lot when he’s at my house.
I don't know Alastair Heim at all! Running to learn more!
My 9-year old and I just finished reading the first Skulduggery Pleasant, in honor of Halloween. (not Halloween-centric at all, but a main character is a skeleton, so I thought it counted.) He loved it! We actually laughed out loud together at parts - and there were parts I found legitimately scary for me, too!
I'm in a rut with my 6-year old. I think I am going to start The Wild Robot with him; it feels like it's time!
I have heard great things about the Skulduggery Pleasant series. I did see the first one the last time I was at a used bookstore and offered it to my 9yo, but she wasn't interested (which doesn't mean I won't check it out for myself 😊)
My almost 6 yo just got the first Henry Heckelbeck book for a gift. He loves it. We tried the Magic Treehouse but it doesn’t have enough pictures, or at least not enough combined with the story (?). HH has more and also enough suspense to make it exiting multiple nights in a row. We still read lots of picture books but I’m trying to move him to chapter books, too.
It's a slow transition (and not one you need to rush! Picture books are important as all get out!) Next week Tuesday I'm publishing a post on first chapter books... hopefully you can find some titles there that might interest him, too.
My daughter and I *loved* The Underneath - one of the most creative and beautifully written middle grade (or YA?) novels out there. We actually 'rescue' it every time we see a copy at the thrift store and give it to someone we think might enjoy it. WOW her writing!
We are currently reading - finishing today, actually - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Unfortunately I did not look closely at the copy (illustrated, hardcover) because it omits Part II! When I got to a certain point in the story, I stopped reading and said "wait! This is NOT what happens". I consulted my cheap copy and did a major facepalm.
Ah well...daughter asked for the cheap copy to be in her room last night so she could start on Part II! Son doesn't overly care, though I imagine he'd be horrified about Laurie's turn with the burdens....which only happens in Part II. Harumph. So much for the fancy cover.
Still have never read Little Women 😂 I actually did a thread about it a little over a year ago...
I have also never read Little Women though I have seen the films!
I have also seen the films...
Oh, it's actually quite a funny story, and really, more of a kid's story than 'adult', since it's about four sisters (and their neighbor, Laurie, of course!). If you do the voices, even your 16 year old boy will laugh (wink)
My wife just finished reading Little Women to one of the twins (12 y.o.). He loved it!
Actually, they both did!
I'm so glad!
My 2 yr old is obsessed w the Piggie and Gerald collection by Mo Willems, which is fun because my 4 yr old can basically read along those or be one character while I am the other. Sooooo funny and cute. My 4 yr old is all things Star Wars and I’ve yet to find one of those books I want to read, but he drifts to any book I am reading like a bee to pollen so he enjoys any of it! Last night for bedtime he picked two Leo Lionni books off the shelf (It’s Mine & The Extraordinary Egg) and we laughed at the silly frogs and their island adventures.
I used to read It's Mine to my kids when they were struggling hard to share. (Come to think of it, maybe I need to break it out again, because we're back in that pattern more often than I'd like...)
Creepy Crayon is the current favorite of two of the small girls in my life. This past weekend, the 8-year-old read it to the 6-year-old. It's fun to live in picture books from time to time, and see how little minds slowly discover new elements during each reading.
I love that too.
We’re reading Kate DiCamillo’s newest book, The Puppets of Spelhorst. Both my 8yo and 4yo are interested in it--it’s a new fairy tale and the pictures are fantastic. The chapters are short enough to keep my 4yo interested.
Oooooh! I just read a review of it yesterday and am definitely intrigued. Putting it on hold!
My boy just turned 1 year old and his favorite book has been '8 Little Planets' so we also took the sequel 'I Heart Pluto'. He loves putting his hands in the holes and turning the pages. Another favorite is the 'Peek-A Who?'. Again there are holes in the pages and he loves it when I make funny sounds when he turns the pages. My kids library is slowly growing but at his age he can't appreciate many of the books yet ^^
Peek-A-Who? was my eldest's very favorite book at that age -- it's such a good one. Have you seen the others in the series, Peek-A-Zoo and Peek-A-Moo?
This week we’ve loved two new finds via Moonbow: The Dead Bird and How to Draw with Scissors. I insist upon a gorgeously illustrated children’s book! These two are stunners.
Yes! (Literally anything Taylor recommends is worth checking out.)
I’m looking for (and not finding) How to Draw with Scissors. Google is recommending Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors. Is this it?
yes that's the one! sorry, tired mother brain.
Thanks!!
Ghost Book by Remy Lai with my 6 yo. My kids have been loving the book version of Bluey-Sleepytime (one of my favorite episodes, the illustrations are beautiful). The Together Tree by Aisha Saeed. I am reading My Murder by Katie Williams.
What a feast!
My 8-year-old and I have devoured the Nevermore series. I will say, it gets a little dark (especially in the third book, so definitely more for kids 8+), but I love it just as much as he does. The fourth book in the series comes out next year, and we can't wait.
My 5-year-old and I have been reading "Give Me Back My Bones" in honor of Halloween and it's pretty great, too!
I've never read the Nevermoor series and know nothing about it... this is good to know!
I just saw this comment on Nevermoor after I posted mine! We just finished the third book last week, and my son and I are agonizing over waiting another year. This is the best fantasy series I've read aloud since Harry Potter.
Couldn't agree more! Glad to see another Nevermoor fan!
Children’s books that I as an adult am enjoying:
Sheddad Kaid-Salah Ferrón: My First Book if Electromagnetism (The first book of his, on quantum mechanics, was the best ever on the topic)
Bethan Woollvin: Rapunzel (This Rapunzel has ideas!)
Sophie Blackall: Farmhouse (The author based this story on the crumbling old farmhouse she bought and made collage pictures of the house using salvaged bits from the house)
Ann Clare LeZotte: Set Me Free, sequel to Show Me a Sign (Deaf author, about a Deaf girl on Martha’s Vineyard, the island having so many Deaf that the entire population spoke sign language. Historical fiction but I think based on a true story?)
What an amazing list, Emily! Thank you so much for sharing.
Incidentally, I'm listening to Show Me a Sign on audio right now -- I had no idea there was a sequel.
It looks like there’s even a 3rd book! Sail Me Away Home (2023)
Oh!!
My daughter is 21 months and her favorites right now are Off to See the Sea by Nikki Grimes and Elizabeth Zunon, Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown, Sheila Rae the Brave (my copy from when I was a kid!) by Kevin Henkes, and Bear Counts by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. I Spy books are always a hit too. Love seeing what everyone else’s kids are into right now!
I love every single one of these titles! So good.
I'm alternately reading Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey (very readable version, but the names and place names are killer to pronounce) and a compelling memoir by Mark Woods, Lassoing The Sun: A Year In America's National Parks, to my 15 yr. old. He's the one I read to every night. I also have a book for each 12 yr. old twin, but read to them sporadically - my wife is their regular reader. I'm reading The Summer Of The Monkeys by Wilson Rawls to one, and John Grisham's Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer to the other. And I'm always reading way too many books at once, but my main book is One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, and poetry, lots of poetry. I'm particularly enamored with the work of Jane Hirshfield these days..
I always adore hearing what you're reading to your kids, Tim. And OMG Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey 😍
I LOVED The Summer Of The Monkeys as a kid! My grandfather introduced me to Farley Mowat, and I think I went looking for read-alikes and found Monkeys, which I liked better than Where the Red Fern Grows.
I know I've said this to you before but you and your wife are giving your boys such an incredible gift. It's really lovely.
I’m trying to think which of the books we’re reading aren’t recommendations from Can We Read? 😂 Some current favorites (that have maybe been recently recommended by Sarah?) are “Mystery on the Docks,” “Heckedy Peg”, and “The Seven Chinese Sisters”. My kids are also very into the Noodleheads series and anything by Raul the third so we have been having fun with those.
I have indeed recommended all of those but that's okay; this isn't about me! (And those titles are fantastic!)
Both Noodleheads and Raul the Third are new to me, so thank you.
Lol perfect! Well you have great recs! And definitely check out Raul the Third! His Vamos books are so much fun. The colors are incredible and there is so much happening on each page. And the noodleheads books are really cool too- they are riffs on folktales about “fools” and have citations in the back that share the history of the different themes and where in the world they came from.
Intriguing!
It’s always interesting to me to see which books my kids want to read on repeat. This week it’s: There Was Old Mummy Who Swallowed a Spider by Jennifer Ward, and Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach.
I find this interesting as well!
We've just pulled out the Chris Riddell illustrated version of the Little Prince, after a visit to Busan in South Korea where we saw references to the Little Prince everywhere and the kids wanted to know who he was. I love all of Chris Riddell's work, and even if the Little Prince is a bit sad at the end, the kids loved it.
My 2 and 4 year old are still deeply obsessed with the Little Red Train books by Benedict Blathwayt (such detailed illustrations) and the Percy the Park keeper books, so those are the main culprits plus some Julia Donaldson and whatever random library books I pick out for a bit of variety. My 4 year old is very into music at the moment so we've been looking at quite a few story of the orchestra type books too.
My 7 year old is obsessed with the Dory Fantasmagory books, and so am I! They are truly, laugh out loud funny, kinda weird, and written by a former elementary teacher who really understands the first grade psyche. Number 6 just came out and we wish there were more!
We are huge Dory fans in our house, too. And you're not alone! Next Tuesday I'm sending a post answering a question from a subscriber requesting Dory read-alikes, so keep an eye out for that if you're looking for similar recommendations.
perfect timing! We are currently on our third read-through of the new Dory lol.
I read separately to my kids because they are interested in different things AND they definitely crave the one on one time...some nights it is exhausting but MOST nights I appreciate the little pockets of time with each one. I started this when I began Harry Potter and my younger child got too scared by the third book to continue reading with us! Anyway, right now we are reading Dogtown by Katherine Applegate and The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall.
My son and I just finished the first three books in the Nevermoor series and the next book isn't coming out until fall 2024!!! We LOVE this series and so disappointed that the publication date has been pushed out several times...
Your energy for reading separately amazes me. My kids go to bed at the same time, and in the same room, so I don't know if we'll *ever* read separately. (They refuse to do anything separately anyway, so even if I wanted to do this, I doubt they would.)
It is hard to muster up the energy some days, but it helps when I am just as into the books as they are!! Don't ever read separately if you can help it!! I just am trying to hold on to reading aloud with Connor, as you know--so if he wants alone time, he can have it! 😂
I get that. I'm sure if/when I want to hold on to reading time with either of my kids, I'll do whatever I have to do...
My son loves Playtown by Roger Priddy with all the flaps and a sense of humour and I honestly want to hide it so we don't have to read it every night. He recently loved The Bad Mood and The Stick, Grace Lin board books, and Madeleine.
All gems!
And I know the temptation to hide a book is overpowering at times, but: there are real, actual developmental reasons little ones want to read books over and over and over and OVER. So if you can muster the patience and energy, it's an important thing you're doing -- and I absolutely promise it won't last forever!
I appreciate that! I'll remind myself of his development the next time he wants to go over it again.
I read separately to my girls at night, although my eldest often listens when I read to my youngest (who goes to bed 90 minutes earlier). We had our Halloween books out for October, but I put them away today so we are back to the Brownstone Mythical Collection and another Joe Todd Stanton book called "A Mouse Called Julian". I need to track down more of his books, but my library doesn't have them. Both of my kids ask for the Brownstone Mythical Collection books on repeat.
Blythe and I are currently reading The Penderwicks on Gardam Street and with her dad she is reading The National Parks Mystery series book 2 (highly recommend - she loved the first book and it inspired a trip over fall break to Rocky Mountain National Park).
The best middle grade book I've read this year is The Labors of Hercules Beal. It's incredible and I can't wait to read it with Blythe.
How could I forget that Blythe and I are also reading Joyful Noise together? She loves trading off reading lines and likes it so much that we bought a copy for her teacher as they are currently completing a poetry unit. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love this (of course I do). And honestly, every time I think, do people even WANT more poetry recommendations? I just think of you and your girls and carry on 😊
You have converted me into a poetry lover! I ordered both Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and Joyful Noise to add to our collection.
I don't know any of these! (I mean, I know the Penderwicks, but we've never tried the first book.)
The Brownstone Mythical Collection includes Kai and the Monkey King. We adore the entire series. Hercules Beal... run don't walk for that one, but perhaps read it yourself first.
Hello, my three year old has been enjoying her recent library pick of The Three Bears (an alternate telling of Goldilocks) and a Halloween book called Ghost Afraid of the Dark. I’m inspired by some of your posts (and a recent conversation with our neighbor who is reading Harry Potter to their 3 and 5 year olds) to start a chapter book for bedtime instead of the pile of picture and board books she picks from. Any tips to help this transition? Just start and see how it goes? I have AA Milne’s set of Winnie the Pooh books (my favorite as a kid) that are more sparsely illustrated that she’s used to, but I’ve been dying to start reading them with her.
To be totally honest, I wouldn’t read chapter books to a 3yo. Kids that age really, truly *need* board and picture books. But if you really can’t wait, start with something with a lot of pictures — My Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo is wonderful. (I also have a post coming out on Tuesday about first chapter books, including a bunch of recommendations, so you can mine that for some ideas as well.)
Neither of my kiddos were able to follow (or care about) Winnie the Pooh until just last year — at 6 and 8yo — but I’d say the general age range is 5-8yo. That said, every child is different. Your neighbor’s kids might be following Harry Potter just fine — I personally think 3 and 5 is way too young for that series, but I don’t know those children like I know mine, or you know yours, and everyone is the best judge of their own family’s abilities and needs.
That is super helpful. We can wait. I think I got excited about the idea of something more interesting than rereading a board book for the thousandth time.
It's easy to get excited -- you're definitely not alone -- but I always advise people to try to be patient, for your kid's sake. The board book phase *does* pass, and you'll be into chapter books before you know it (and some days, may even long for the time you could read a book that was over in two minutes!)
You have time and there's no rush.
I’m late to this as I just started subscribing but I did some random library books based on Halloween/Fall search terms and we found some great books. Some a bit beyond my 3 year old but I’ve tagged them to return to next year.
Witch Hazel by Molly Idle is a wonderful entry to the concept of memories and loved ones passing - too subtle for my 3 year old but he loved reading it
Every Night at Midnight by Peter Cheong was just ok but my little loves wolves right now and is learning what friends are, so it worked well.
When You Breathe by Diana afraid was lovely but went over my little’s heads - I’m always looking for books that talk about breathwork (also tried Six Healing Sounds, based on Qi Gong, by Lisa and Spillane which was well-received and hit better although there was some toxic positivity hints that left a bad taste for me)
The Dark was Done by Lauren Stringer part of a few books grabbed as my 3 year old is grappling with newfound fear around darkness) was a lovely concept (darkness retreats as it feels unappreciated) but I wish the author had workshopped the darkness seekers and their reasons a bit more - including a thief was an odd choice.
Mushroom Lullaby by Kenneth Kraegel is a sweet nighttime book as my little is getting into foraging.
In the Night Garden by Carin Berger hit Halloween/scary/darkness fix perfectly. Light text, collage-style illustrations
Beatrice likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke was a nice concept but a bit heavy handed on what is dark/light ie I thought it went too into morality/goodness and I did not like the inclusion of mysterious boys in both the girls’ dreams - maybe an overthought - although I liked that she makes the point that the 2 characters don’t have to love dark and light but rather find some good in what they once didn’t like
Also looking for fun books about dentists... 😬
Wow, what a list! Thanks for sharing.
Love these round-up discussion-y posts - I always find so many gems!
My 3yo wants Room on the Broom and Zog and the Flying Doctors on repeat (and I'm not mad about it, love those).
My 7yo is deeply in love with the Dragon Masters series - and I'm a little over it, to be honest. We loved The Magic Treehouse together but we've read them all and I feel like DM are a poor substitute (from a grown up reader's perspective - my 7yo is a happy guy. I also just read Fourth Wing which was basically Dragon Masters for adults, lol.). He picked up one at the Book Fair called City Spies (James Ponti) that I'm liking but is a little too advanced for him and I tried to start Henry and the Chalk Dragon (Jennifer Trafton) but so far it's not plot-y enough for him. Definitely seeking early readers (picture every 3rd page would be about perfect) that I can also enjoy, gotta just keep trying!
Yesss!!!! The Underneath is one of my favorite kids books of all time. I just finished reading Skunk and Badger and it was delightful.
I have Skunk and Badger but haven’t read it yet — I love to hear it was delightful!